It’s unclear when the NBA’s next off-season will begin due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but when it does the Washington Wizards have their sights on retaining two of their own potential free agents.
During a Q&A session on Twitter, Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard relayed the team’s intentions to keep Shabazz Napier and Davis Bertans.
“With Davis and Shabazz they showed enough to us that certainly we would love to retain them. We plan to.”
Bertans has been a pleasant addition since Washington acquired him from San Antonio last July. He has shot a staggering 42.4% from three and is second on the team in scoring with 15.4 points despite coming off the bench.
Bertans’ emergence with the Wizards may garner multiple suitors in free agency, but the Wizards have long yearned for retaining him beyond this season.
Meanwhile, Napier was a later addition. After the Isaiah Thomas’ experiment fizzled, the Wizards acquired Napier in a four-team deal ahead of the trade deadline, that sent Jordan McRae to the Denver Nuggets.
Napier immediately asserted himself as a more suitable fit at point guard. He has averaged 12 points, 4.4 assists and 1.7 steals in 15 games with Washington. Having him back for guard depth even with John Wall’s potential return will strengthen their backcourt.
