The Washington Wizards are getting offers for Davis Bertans, who will enter restricted free agency in July. Let’s look at a few potential deals.
After missing nine games with a quad injury, Davis Bertans is healthy and attracting a lot of trade buzz. The NBA’s February 7th deadline is fast approaching, and teams around the league will either be bulking up for a postseason run or selling assets for a rebuild. As much as it seems like the Wizards would like to retain Bertans and re-sign him in the summer, it will be hard to ignore the teams that come knocking. Some offers might just be too sweet to turn down.
Chase Hughes of NBCS Washington is reporting that as many as five teams have emerged as suitors for the Latvian Laser: the Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bertans in the midst of a career year, averaging 15.3 while shooting 43.2 percent from deep. That type of firepower could certainly help a team with hopes of a deep playoff run. It could even propel them to an NBA Finals birth.
Bertans is putting up big numbers, but he doesn’t have a big price tag. He is currently in the last year of his two-year/$14 million deal, making his salary fairly easy to match, even among contenders with tighter payrolls.
So let’s open the books, start up the trade machine, and explore the Washington Wizards options. Is there a package out there that makes sense?
Option #1: Mile High City Doubles Down on Free Agency
The trade: Malik Beasley and Juan Hernangomez for Davis Bertans.
The Denver Nuggets, as of Sunday morning, own the second-best record in the Western Conference. They currently sit just behind LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers. But in order to make the deep playoff run they so publicly desire, adding more pieces at the trade deadline is a must.
For the Wizards, the logic is simple. Sell high on Bertans now, if you’re going to sell, and find young affordable talent that has yet to stick on an NBA roster. Malik Beasley fits that definition and would be an interesting prospect on this Wizards roster. At 23 years old, he’s averaging 15.5 points on a 40 percent shooting clip from three per 36 minutes.
The young forward has all the tools to become an NBA-level defender and shooter. He just has not found the opportunity with the Nuggets, who’d be wise to sell on him now before he hits free agency.
Both Juan Hernangomez and Malik Beasley aren’t necessarily concrete pieces to this Nuggets rotation. They’re averaging 12 and 16.4 minutes per game, respectively.
However, they’re both headed for restricted free agency this summer and there’s simply no way Denver can afford to retain both of them. The chances of either making it back to the Nuggets on a contender-friendly deal is significantly slim.
So, instead, Washington offers Denver a 1-for-2 swap that immediately makes them better on offense. The three-ball rules today’s NBA, and the Nuggets aren’t great in that department. Per Basketball-Reference, Denver ranks 26th in three-pointers attempted, 25th in three-pointers made, and 22nd in three-point percentage. Bertans boosts that immediately.
Option #2: 76ers Add Some Much Needed Shooting
The trade: Zhaire Smith, Mike Scott, and a second-round pick for Davis Bertans.
From the moment the Philadelphia 76ers wrapped up free agency, it was clear their roster has some issues, even if it had a lot of big names. Newly acquired Al Horford suddenly had the best three-point shooting percentage on the team. That alone, should have scared a lot of 76ers fans.
And 39 games into the season, that’s pretty much the story. While Philadelphia may rank thirteenth among the league in three-point percentage (35.9 percent), they’re in the bottom half of the league in both attempts (25th) and makes per game (23rd), according to NBA.com
It’s long been known that the 76ers would need to add some shooting, and Davis Bertans presents a prime rotation piece that could provide a big boost going forward. In return? Philadelphia could offer up the salaries of Mike Scott and Zhaire Smith to match.
A pick may be required in this instance, as Scott would likely be a buyout candidate, and Smith hasn’t touched an NBA floor since April. But there’s still reason for Washington to be interested.
In his six-game stint thus far in the NBA, Smith is averaging 6.7 points on 37.5 percent from long-range. He may not be ready to compete on the 76ers squad now, but he has the potential to be a legitimate three-and-d wing down the road.
The last time Smith was on the court for the 76ers, they walked away with a win over the Chicago Bulls thanks to 17 points and 5 assists from Smith. This performance is a glimpse of what the 20-year-old could become.
Even in the beginning of the game, with Philadelphia up big, Smith displays a complete willingness to move the ball to the open man. You don’t see that a lot with some of the younger prospects who’ve seen limited floor time. Instead of trying to steal the spotlight, though, and get his, Smith worked within the flow of the offense.
Smith’s finishing at the rim leaves a lot to be desired, both on the open dunks and layups through traffic. His jumpshot mechanics show promise, but it’s apparent those will need time before he is a reliable knockdown shooter. Fortunately enough, Washington has the time and is willing to develop their young guys.
At least more so than the 76ers.
Option #3: LeBron and the Lakers are Championship Bound
The trade: Kyle Kuzma, DeMarcus Cousins, and Quinn Cook for Ish Smith and Davis Bertans.
If we have learned anything from LeBron James and his lengthy reign over the NBA, it’s that he likes to add pieces around the deadline. The Cavaliers always made moves at the deadline during LeBron’s post-Miami stint, and the Lakers made moves at the deadline last year. Each time, the purpose is to add more shooting.
Bertans is an easy LeBron-target to spot even as we are weeks away from the deadline. He’s a strong defender, got the length to help in the frontcourt, and is a pending free agent.
But the why, is a little bit of a harder question.
For whichever reason, the Los Angeles front office and fandom has come to the sudden realization that Kyle Kuzma is not a star right now. And he might not ever be one despite his promising rookie season. This season, Kuzma is averaging just 12.4 points off the Lakers bench with shooting splits of 42/34/77.
It’s not that his numbers are underwhelming, it’s that they’re not overwhleming and he hasn’t progressed like many expected.
Of course, it didn’t help that his personal trainer made stabs at James’ gameplay on social media earlier this season. While both LeBron and Kuzma are telling the media things are all fine and dandy in the locker room, the truth is this: Kuzma will not be a Laker following the deadline.
There’s more than enough evidence to support this theory. And Washington would be smart to buy in on Kuzma now. At just 24-years-old, Kuzma isn’t exactly done developing and he’d be under contract for next season, too, giving the Wizards yet another young piece.
Los Angeles could use Bertans’ veteran presence and shooting, and also the alleviating of tension that Kuzma’s exit would provide. Win-win for both parties.