NBA Rumors: Wizards' Player Skipping Bubble, Could Lose Half A Million Dollars In Salary

The Washington Wizards are one of 22 NBA teams that will finish the regular season in Orlando, Florida, but they don’t have much of a chance to reach the playoffs. Not only is Washington 5.5 games behind the No.8 seed Orlando Magic, but they will be without one of their best players.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that Davis Bertans won’t join the Wizards for the remaining eight games on the schedule. While other players won’t be part of the Disney “bubble” because they are injured, Bertans is healthy and choosing to sit out the rest of the season.

According to Wojnarowski, Bertans is skipping the NBA’s restart as a preventative measure. The 27-year-old has suffered two ACL injuries in the past and is headed for free agency.

Sitting out is preventive measure, which Wizards fully support. Franchise is treating Bertans as a top offseason priority in free agency. Bertans -- 16 PPG, 42 percent on 3's -- still expected to participate in pre-Orlando training with team. https://t.co/vjIrWXu8wk
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2020

Following a career-year, Bertans is expected to land a contract that dwarfs his current two-year, $14.5 million deal, which is set to expire when the 2019-2020 season concludes. The small forward is second on the Wizards with 15.4 points per game, nearly double the 8.0 points per game he averaged with the San Antonio Spurs a year ago.

Only James Harden, Damian Lillard and Buddy Hield are averaging more made threes per game (3.7) than Bertans. Hield defeated Bertans in the final round of the 2020 NBA 3-Point contest.

The Davis Bertans reduction is closer to $520K and that amount is still unknown until after the season. The calculation for missed games in Orlando takes into account his salary ($7M) minus reductions that have already or will occur during the season.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 22, 2020

Shooting 42.4% from three-point range, Bertans is tied for seventh in the league. He has the best three-point percentage of the 10 NBA players that attempt at least 8.5 shots per game from behind the arc.

Bertans is a 44.1% career three-point shooter.

Bradley Beal leads the Wizards with 30.5 points and 6.1 assists per game. With Bertans staying home and John Wall still recovering from a torn Achilles, no other Washington player even averages 13.5 points or 5.0 assists per game.

Washington is 24-40 and the only team that is outside of the East playoff picture and still scheduled to finish the season in Orlando.