One end-of-the-bench move the Boston Celtics have been connected to in past weeks may be heating up as the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches: a deal for the Washington Wizards sharpshooting forward Davis Bertans.
Boston has been linked to the 6-foot-10 swingman several times this season, despite Wizards general manager Tommy Shepherd repeatedly expressing a lack of interest in dealing the Latvian.
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reports that Boston continues to have a “strong interest” in acquiring the 27-year-old’s services, noting the Valmiera native “could join the frontcourt rotation and juice what has been a brutally bad shooting bench,” which Mannis relates as 28th-best in the NBA.
Mannix believes including picks the team in truth won’t have space to roster without consolidatory moves anyway might be enough to convince Shepherd to listen, and he might have a point.
The #Celtics have “strong interest” in Davis Bertans.
The #Wizards “have effectively hung up on teams looking to extract Bertans, but Boston could make things interesting if they throw a pick or two into the pot.” https://t.co/zm3Zg6e5gh
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) February 4, 2020
But Boston also needs to consider Bertans will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
They could see the assets and player contracts included for salary matching effectively walk out the door with him in a season they may not be able to afford to match offer sheets coming the fourth-year veteran’s way — if he wants to stay with the Celtics at all.
Conversely, he could be thought of as Gordon Hayward insurance in case the Butler product dips his toe in a shallow free agency market this summer, with the forward able to opt-out of the final season of his current deal.
As each hour passes and the three p.m. deadline for completing trades on Thursday draws nearer, expect more and more rumbles like this. Much of what we hear and read may be posturing and leverage attempts.
But, there’s also probably some fire to go with all the smoke for narratives like this one that have stuck around for some time.
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