Will Dāvis Bertāns Hit the Trade Block This Summer?

The veteran sharpshooter could gain interest from others around the league.

Apr 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Davis Bertans (9) / Scott Kinser-USA TODAY Sports

Despite being "sellers" at the trade deadline, the Charlotte Hornets may have been one of the biggest winners when you look take into consideration the pieces they received in those respective deals. Typically teams in the Hornets' situation don't improve after the deadline and had it not been for you guessed it, injuries, they would have looked like a more competitive group down the stretch.

One thing the team really lacked was perimeter shooting and veteran Davis Bertans helped fix that in the 28 games he played, shooting 37% from the field. What's most impressive about that percentage is that he was able to shoot that efficiently while taking 84.6% of his shot attempts on the floor behind the three-point line. Everyone knows that his game, yet he's still effective.

This summer, the Hornets could use Bertans as a piece of a trade if they so choose. His salary makes that possible. According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, he's the one player from Charlotte who is most likely to hit the trade block this offseason.

"Bertāns is a player to keep an eye on, though, due to his unique contract. The 31-year-old is owed $16 million next season in the final year of his deal. An amendment agreed between the Latvian and the Oklahoma City Thunder in November 2023 removed a games-played guarantee in his contract while adding more guaranteed money to his 2024-25 base salary. This means the Hornets (or any other team that trades for Bertāns) can choose to keep him at $16 million or release the veteran forward and owe just $5.25 million instead. According to Spotrac, the contract only becomes fully guaranteed on January 10, 2025, giving teams some extra flexibility with their finances going into the season. Due to the uniqueness of his contract, Bertāns may be a player included in a deal this summer."

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