It's official. Real Madrid announced on Saturday the agreement with Olivier Sarr, by which the French center, coming from the Cleveland Cavaliers, will be a Real Madrid player for the next two seasons, through the end of 2027-28, according to the club's statement.
The operation had been in the works for weeks and responds to a very specific need: the complete Achilles tendon rupture suffered by Usman Garuba in the EuroLeague Final Four, which will keep him out for much of the season.
A different type of center than what they already had
At 2.08 meters and 27 years old, Sarr brings a profile the roster didn't have. He's a mobile big man, capable of playing away from the basket and opening the floor with three-pointers, exactly the complement that Pedro Martínez was looking for to pair with Edy Tavares without duplicating his role.
His career has developed entirely in the United States. Trained at the INSEP in Paris, he made the jump to the NCAA with Wake Forest, where he was named to the All-ACC third team in his junior year, and completed his college career at Kentucky. He wasn't selected in the 2021 draft, but he made his way: three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, with 46 NBA games and a G League championship with the Oklahoma City Blue in 2024, before stints with the Raptors 905 and signing a two-way contract with the Cavaliers last March.
Where he has truly stood out is in the G League. He has accumulated over 90 games with averages of 11.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, and last season he added a stat that explains Real Madrid's interest: nearly 40% from three-point range.
The surname is no coincidence
His younger brother, Alexandre Sarr, current center for the Washington Wizards, was developed in Real Madrid's academy between 2019 and 2021 before leaving for the United States. The family, therefore, already knew the club.
With this signing, Real Madrid has practically completed its interior reconstruction. To Sarr are added Damian Jones, Jaime Pradilla and Mikael Jantunen, all of them in a summer of profound change marked by the arrival of Pedro Martínez to the bench.