Starting the season 10-3 and near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, the Washington Wizards looked like they could be a dark-horse threat in the NBA this season, but reality has seemed to catch up to the Wizards.
Washington is just 23-24 now and after losing to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, the Wizards find themselves tied with the New York Knicks for the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference. Bradley Beal has continued to cement himself as one of the better offensive players in the league this season, but once again, his supporting cast has seemed to be the problem.
They certainly have more overall depth and talent than they had a season ago, but the Wizards’ biggest problem right now is that they do not have another star-like talent next to Beal. Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Spencer Dinwiddie are all really strong secondary talents on this roster, but the Eastern Conference is no joke this season.
Just four games separate the 1-seed and the 7-seed in this conference right now and with some very talented rosters in the East, it is going to take a lot more than just one star to win this conference. Being right at the tax line on the season, the Wizards do not have a lot of room financially to make moves in the offseason, which is why the trade deadline is going to be very important to them.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Wizards Could Move Spencer Dinwiddie At NBA Trade Deadline?
Not only will Washington be searching for ways to add another star to their roster to pair with Bradley Beal, but they will be looking for ways to free up cap space moving forward so they have the ability to make big future moves. As a result, this could lead to them looking to trade sharpshooter Davis Bertans.
Following the 2019-20 season, a year in which Bertans averaged career-highs in points (15.4), rebounds (4.5), assists (1.7) and three-pointers made per game (3.7), the Wizards gave Davis Bertans a five-year, $80M deal.
With the addition of Russell Westbrook last season, Bertans’ overall production declined and so far this season, his role on the Wizards has been minimal. The 29-year-old forward is shooting just 32.4% from deep and is only seeing about 15.3 minutes per game, the fewest of his career since he was with the Spurs during the 2017-18 season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Wizards Could Move Spencer Dinwiddie At NBA Trade Deadline?
With Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma and now Thomas Bryant all seeing time ahead of him, Davis Bertans’ value to the Washington Wizards has dropped tremendously, leading to the remaining four years and $65M left on his contract being a major liability.
Finding a way to get out of this deal with Bertans will be tough for the Wizards to do, especially since he is barely playing this season, but they could be able to strike a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Let’s take a look at a trade proposal put together by Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz that sends Davis Bertans and some added value to Oklahoma City.
