Davis Bertans elected to opt out of playing in the NBA restart next month in Orlando. While his team, the Washington Wizards, have supported Bertans’ decision, at least one NBA player had an objection.
Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier took a couple of shots at Bertans for his decision.
Yes, Bertans is ‘perfectly’ healthy in regards, but his situation is more complex than Fournier is considering.
For starters, Bertans is in a contract year. He was having a career-year before the NBA season was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He is being regarded as one of the top free agents heading into the offseason. Bertans is slated for his biggest payday of his pro career.
The risk of a injury is one of the biggest concerns for players going into the restart, especially pending free agents. The Wizards currently sit ninth in the Eastern Conference standings. They are 5.5 games behind Fournier’s Orlando Magic for the eighth and final seed for the playoffs ahead of the eight-game play-in schedule. That puts Washington as a long shot to challenge for the postseason.
Additionally, Bertans has an injury history. He suffered two torn ACL’s while playing overseas before entering the NBA.
Certainly, his contributions will be missed by the Wizards. Davis Bertans is the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 15.4 points. His 42.4% shooting from three is the leading contributor to Washington being third in the league this season in three-point shooting. Still, he had to make a business decision above his team whether others are understanding or not.
