The Washington Wizards have officially re-signed sharp-shooting free agent forward Davis Bertans to a five-year, $80 million deal.
“We have been adamant that our top offseason priority was to re-sign Davis, so we are thrilled to accomplish that goal and have him on board as part of the winning environment we’re continuing to build,” said Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “He is not only an elite shooter, he’s a great addition to our community and we saw last season how his ability to spread the floor, overall basketball IQ and competitive spirit make him an ideal fit for our style of play.”
Bertans averaged career-highs of 15.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in 54 games last season, shooting .424 (200-472) from three-point range. He ranked fourth in the NBA in three-pointers made and sixth in three-point percentage.
“My family and I are very proud to be a part of this first-class organization in a world-class city with great teammates, coaches and fan support,” said Bertans. “All of those factors led to my decision to re-sign with the Wizards, and now I’m looking forward to getting back on the court and back to work so we can keep improving as a team.”
"My family and I are very proud to be a part of this first-class organization in a world-class city with great teammates, coaches and fan support." – Davis Bertans#RepTheDistrict | @DBertans_42 pic.twitter.com/CYGisELCWd
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) November 23, 2020
The dream scenario is to have a Wizards lineup that includes Bertans, Bradley Beal, and John Wall playing together as a triple threat. It remains to be seen if this will come to life because shortly after the team locked down Bertans, news came out that John Wall wants out of D.C. The news came after reports surfaced that the Houston Rockets and Wizards were in talks about a deal that centered on John Wall for Russell Westbrook. The deal never materialized but it was enough to shake things up in Washington.
Nonetheless, checking Bertans off the to-do list was a priority for the Wizards. Bertans’ 15.4 points per game ranked sixth in the NBA in scoring off the bench. He also ranks fourth in NBA history with 187 three-pointers as a reserve and his 200 total three-pointers made ranks fifth-most in a single season in Wizards history.
In addition, Bertans became the only player in NBA history to knock down eight or more threes off the bench in three or more games in a single season. He finished the season with 25 games of four or more 3-pointers off the bench, the third-highest total in a single season in NBA history. His 15 games of five or more 3-pointers off the bench are tied for the second-most in a single season in NBA history.
Bertans was originally acquired from San Antonio in a three-team deal with the Spurs and Nets on July 6, 2019, that sent the Wizards’ draft rights to forward Aaron White to Brooklyn with the Spurs acquiring DeMarre Carroll from the Nets.