The championship-chasing Los Angeles Lakers are making sure their campaign in the season will lead to an NBA title and one asset that the club actively hunts for is a shooter. It so happened there is a sniper, who goes by the name Davis Bertans, in Washington that caught the eyes of several teams.
The name, admittedly, doesn't readily ring a bell, but Bertans' stats clearly showed he is on a roll, or, as described by media report, the Wizards forward is cruising on "a breakout season."
Indeed so far in the season, the numbers attached to Bertans deserve a second look. He averages 15.4 points and 4.9 rebounds, according to Fadeaway World. But what really impressed the scouts is that the big Latvian is never shy from taking the shots.
Bertans throws a minimum of 8 attempts from beyond the arc in every game, and more than half the time, he converts. So it's far from surprising that teams, in fact, the biggies, are taking notice and might have sent notice that they want him.
Per the same report, Chase Hughes of NBC listed the Sixers, Hawks, Celtics, and Nuggets as among the teams that the Lakers will need to outbid to bring Bertans over to the Los Angeles side. And it is understood that the Wizards have already made clear that they want to re-sign the Latvian.
"But that hasn't stopped teams from showing interest ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline," Hughes was reported as saying.
The Lakers and the other NBA teams monitoring Bertans cannot be blamed. As Fadeaway World, he found success in marking a spot in the league and is currently considered one of the best big men who are not afraid to snipe from a distance. And Bertans sink the ball on most occasions.
On paper, Bertans seems like an affordable acquisition for the Lakers. According to SilverScreenAndRoll.com, the Wizards will pay the forward $7 million in the season and with the tide moving to his liking, the likelihood of winning a raise is a reality.
However, the actual price of acquisition will really depend on the Wizards, which have already declared that shipping Bertans out is not a priority.
As Hughes has stated in his report: "How much the Wizards will actually entertain offers is unclear. He is one of their best players and the fact he has become one of the best catch-and-shoot scorers in the NBA is particularly enticing given the offensive style they like to play."
Another consideration for the Lakers is going after Bertans, they will be competing with a lot of suitors and easily that could drive up the asking price for the deadly shooter.
