Second-year big man Alex Sarr has established himself as a foundational piece for the Washington Wizards, but he had a forgettable night in their 132-101 home loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday. Luckily for the 20-year-old, the Wizards acquired 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis (finger) from the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, who will provide frontcourt assistance.
Knicks star center Karl-Anthony Towns got the best of Sarr, totaling 19 points (7-16 FG, 1-4 3-point) with 15 rebounds, three assists, and two steals over 26 minutes. Meanwhile, Sarr logged 11 points (4-11 FG, 1-3 3-point), nine rebounds, three assists, and one steal across 25 minutes.
The 248-pound Towns outmuscled the 205-pound Sarr all night, an effort highlighted by an and-one dunk over him in the second quarter.
KAT WITH THE AND-ONE SLAM pic.twitter.com/AAMUiJUyN7
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 4, 2026
Struggling against stronger big men is nothing new for Sarr. For example, the 2024 No. 2 overall pick was dominated in the paint by the 258-pound Rudy Gobert in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 141-115 win over the Wizards on Jan. 4. The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year notched 18 points (8-10 FG), 14 rebounds, and four blocks over 29 minutes, while Sarr had seven points (3-10 FG, 1-2 3-point), three rebounds, four assists, and one steal across 26 minutes. Gobert told ClutchPoints postgame that Sarr has “all the talent and skills,” but should “keep working on [his] body, keep getting stronger.”
On the bright side, it is typical for young and rebuilding teams to struggle, as New York head coach Mike Brown said postgame on Tuesday.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown was frank in the opening statement of his postgame presser, saying “obviously, Washington’s a young team, and the direction they’re going in is what most young teams do at this point in the year.”
Knicks beat the Wizards 132-101 tonight. pic.twitter.com/TqEmTmKTuO
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) February 4, 2026
One of the many reasons that Washington is tied for the fourth-worst record in the NBA at 13-36 entering Thursday's road matchup with the Detroit Pistons is that it hasn't had a true center to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Towns and Gobert. Sarr is a natural power forward who's been playing center for the Wizards due to their lack of depth at the position.
Of course, that was by design. Washington intentionally went into the season without a true point guard or center in order to lose the most games possible, which will maximize its odds in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery. Its lottery pick this summer is also top-eight protected, meaning that it must finish no higher than fourth-worst in the regular season standings to guarantee the retention of it.
The Knicks currently own the pick, but it will convert into two second-rounders once the Wizards inevitably finish with a bottom-four record. Washington will then have a top-eight pick in a draft class headlined by superstar prospects Darryn Peterson (Kansas), Cameron Boozer (Duke), and AJ Dybantsa (BYU).
Acquiring star point guard Trae Young (quad, knee) from the Atlanta Hawks in January gave it a head start on next season, when it wants to be competitive. Ditto for the 253-pound Davis, a five-time All-Defensive honoree and one of the strongest players in basketball. The latter player can guard the Towns and Goberts of the world while Sarr mans the power forward position next year.
Both Young and Davis likely won't play more than a handful of games this season to ensure that the Wizards keep their pick, but they're both All-NBA talents at what were previously positions of need for the team.
Wizards tried to get Karl-Anthony Towns before Anthony Davis
Davis wasn't the only big man that Washington had its eye on ahead of Thursday's NBA Trade Deadline. The Stein Line's Jake Fischer reported on Wednesday that the front office reached out to New York about acquiring Towns with the same framework that it later landed Davis with. The Knicks declined, just like the Sacramento Kings did when the Wizards offered Khris Middleton and a pick for center Domantas Sabonis, per ESPN's Marc Spears.
Based on what Washington gave up to get Davis, it makes sense why both the Knicks and Kings held on to their big men. It sent Dallas two first-round picks, three seconds, three expiring contracts including Middleton, and second-year guard AJ Johnson. But the two firsts are the Oklahoma City Thunder's 2026 selection, which will likely be No. 30 overall, and the Golden State Warriors' top-20 protected 2030 selection.
While none of those are premium assets, the value for the Mavericks was getting Davis' contract off their books, which puts them below the luxury tax line both this season and next season. The 32-year-old has a cap hit of $54.1 million this year and $58.4 million next year before a $62.7 million player option for the 2027-28 campaign.
That is a steep price for a player who has played 65-plus regular-season games only once since the New Orleans Pelicans traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019. However, Davis will help elevate the Wizards into a competitive team when he does play next season, and that's worth the risk for a franchise that hasn't had a winning campaign since 2017-18.
