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On Sunday, the Wizards announced that they re-signed forward Davis Bertans. After acquiring Bertans in a three-team trade last season, the Wizards locked in the “Latvian Laser” for the long term.
Bertans wowed Wizards fans with his prolific shooting in his first year with the team, averaging 15.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game on 42.4% 3-point shooting. One of the top shooters in the league for the second straight season, Bertans finished third in the 2020 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago.
The Valmiera, Latvia native was the Wizards’ number one offseason target, according to general manager Tommy Sheppard. Washington went into free agency on Friday hoping to strike a new deal with Bertans first and foremost.
“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,” Sheppard said. “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 finished the 2019-20 season 24 threes short of breaking Bradley Beal’s franchise record for threes in a season set in 2016-17, though Beal did so playing 77 games that year and averaging 2.9 threes per game. At 3.7 threes per game, Bertans became the first player in franchise history to average over 3.0 3-pointers made per game. Despite appearing in just 53 games, Bertans set a new franchise record for games with at least five 3-pointers through 70 games (16).
With a 42.4% 3-point shooting rate, Bertans became just the second player in league history to shoot over 40.0% from beyond the arc while attempting at least 8.5 threes per game. Only Stephen Curry can say the same.
Looking forward, Bertans will be in D.C. for the long haul. He’ll lead a young frontcourt built around first rounds picks Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija, fourth year center Thomas Bryant, free agent signing Robin Lopez, and more.
“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.”