Fansided

NBA Free Agency: 5 players who are going to be overpaid

By Rucker Haringey

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 12: Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors in action against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on February 12, 2020 in New York City.Brooklyn Nets defeated the Toronto Raptors 101-91. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 12: Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors in action against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on February 12, 2020 in New York City.Brooklyn Nets defeated the Toronto Raptors 101-91. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Davis Bertans, NBA Free Agency
Davis Bertans, Washington Wizards, (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

2. Davis Bertans

Bertans has flourished in Washington as one of the best shooting bigs in the entire NBA. The floor spacing he can provide any offense in the league is valuable. There just aren’t many big men who can reliably be expected to shoot over 42 percent from behind the arc as Bertans did last season.

The Wizards will be desperate to keep him in the fold. They don’t want to give Bradley Beal any excuse to demand a trade. Letting a quality starter like Bertans leave in free agency might accelerate what many people believe to be an inevitable divorce between Beal and his team.

The problem with Bertans is that as good as he is on offense, he’s arguably just as bad on defense. His inability to guard anyone at either the four or the five contributed greatly to Washington’s putrid defense last season. There’s little reason to expect he has any chance to become anything more than a solidly below-average defender at this stage of his career.

That makes the prospect of paying him north of $15 million per season a poor investment. Washington would likely be happy to get off the hook if that’s all they’re forced to pay Bertans. It’s possible that the introduction of another bidder could push his compensation north of $20 million per season on a long-term deal.

This is one of those contracts that’s going to become a negative value the moment it’s signed. The Wizards can’t afford to let Bertans walk, but they are going to be saddled with another negative-value deal as a result of their circumstances.

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