Washington Wizards: There’s a ‘catch-22’ to any Davis Bertans commitment

It’s clear Davis Bertans will be the Washington Wizards’ top priority in free agency, but there’s reason to be cautious of a commitment to the marksman.

Despite star guard Bradley Beal‘s best efforts, it appears the Washington Wizards playoff push has come up short. They’re 22-39, four and a half games back of the eighth seed with 21 games to play.

That being said, this season shouldn’t be considered a lost cause by any means. Washington got a lot established, traded for some pieces for next season, and saw their star player stretch his wings and experiment as the number one option in absence of John Wall.

But going into the offseason, it’s clear the Wizards are going to need to make good use of free agency, and bring in pieces ready to win next season. The top name on their list is already in-house and on roster, Davis Bertans, the Latvian Laser.

The 27-year-old swingman is having quite the season in Washington. Bertans is averaging 15.3 points and 4.7 rebounds on incredibly efficient 43/42/86 shooting splits.

Still, games like Wednesday night’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers raise questions and caution about how far the Wizards should be willing to commit to the pending free agent.

Bertans went off for 21 points yes, but shot just 4-of-12 from the 3-point line. There were often times that some of his teammates had better, or even open, looks and were ignored. This is the challenge presented with having such a profound shooter on roster.

We’ve seen it time and time again with some of the league’s best shooters, the bipolar nature of their stroke and it’s accuracy. And it often falls off at the worst of times, like the playoffs.

That’s a goal of Washington’s next season, once Wall returns and they (TBD) resign Bertans. The Wizards window of contention is sliding shut as Beal continues his prime and their top-10 and franchise point guard battles through injury year after year.

Is Bertans the right free agent target given the circumstance? Taking into account how devout of talent the upcoming free agency market will be, there’s a strong argument for bringing him back.

But should the Washington Wizards over-commit to Bertans, paying somewhere upwards of $18 million per year, once again sending their cap space into the upper echelons of claustrophobic-level confines and restriction, will they end up regretting it?

He’s a consistent scorer by all means but can get cold as quickly as he can hot. This season, Bertans has shot 30 percent or worse from deep on 12 different occasions, and the Wizards are 3-9 in those games.

Guys like the Latvian Laser are a commodity, assuredly. But there’s also the cost of playing him, as the Wizards saw upfront and first-most on Wednesday night. If there are no shooters to pick up Bertans’ slack on nights where he’s off, he’ll prove much more of a harm to the cause than help.

That being said, the Washington Wizards approach to free agency should certainly remain focused on Davis Bertans, but how far and how much they’re willing to commit should be based upon how they’ve fared in making additions to the other ends of their roster.