NBA: 5 non-star trade targets that could change the playoff race

Davis Bertans – Washington Wizards

Bertans, AKA The Latvian Laser, has been one of the best stories of the NBA season so far. He’s deadly from the 3-point line – shooting his shot with more confidence than a fraternity brother who just finished his 2nd Four Loko at his last winter formal.

Per Basketball-Reference, Bertans is shooting 43 percent on nearly nine attempts per game. At 29 minutes per game, it comes out to a per 36 rate of nearly 11 attempts per game. For reference, James Harden is shooting more 3-pointers than any player in NBA history, and his per 36 3-point attempts are just under 13 per game.

That means the Latvian Laser is approaching Harden level 3-point confidence, and with that efficiency, why shouldn’t he be confident? He’s arguably the most lethal shooter in the NBA right now!

The problem with getting Bertans on a contending team for the playoffs is that it won’t be easy to pull him away from the Wizards who have already said they don’t want to get rid of him. And trading Bertans might add even more frustration to the already “angry and emotional” Bradley Beal which the Wizards would certainly have to add to the equation.

Even still, there are a lot of teams who are always in the market for elite shooting so the Wizards will certainly be getting a lot of calls about Bertans as we get closer to the deadline. If one of those teams can put together a Marlon Brando type of offer that the Wizards can’t refuse, then we could see Bertans making a big impact in the playoffs.