Washington Wizards: How much is Davis Bertans worth in NBA free agency

Who stacks up historically next to Davis Bertens?

The company Bertans keeps behind the arc is rare. He attempted 8.7 threes and hit 42.4-percent of them this past season. The only other players to blend that level of volume and efficiency, attempting eight or more threes and hitting them at better than a 40-percent rate, were Damian Lillard and Duncan Robinson. While Lillard is a superstar and on a max contract, Robinson is in his second year and still on a minuscule deal. Neither really helps determine how much Bertans should be paid, but another free agent gives us an almost perfect barometer for how much Bertans can expect.

Davis Bertans and Danilo Gallinari might as well be twins. Both are 6’10”, both are exceptional 3-point shooters, both have suffered ACL tears, both have defensive and rebounding limitations, and both are free agents heading into 2021. Gallinari is coming off a 3-year $65 million contract that he signed entering his age 29 season. Should Bertans, who is entering his age 28 season, expect a similar deal?

As great as Bertans was this past season he has never averaged over 30 minutes a game in his career and has come off the bench in 242 of his 274 career games. Even Lou Williams, a three-time sixth-man of the year winner, is only on an $8 million a year contract. Bertans, who has suffered two tears of his right ACL, is not a candidate to see a massive minutes spike.

There are reports that Bertans wants to start contract negotiations at $15 million per season. With the salary cap projected to go up, this is financially feasible for the Wizards. However, even though Bertans and Gallinari look very similar on a lot of levels there is a reason Bertans shouldn’t expect much more than the $15 million he is currently seeking.