How Does Davis Bertans Fit With The OKC Thunder?

The Thunder acquired Davis Bertans in a draft night trade and now have some decisions to make about his future.

Dallas traded Bertans to Oklahoma City along with the No. 10 overall pick Cason Wallace to get off the remainder of his contract. Bertans is owed a total of $33 million over the next two seasons to make him the Thunder’s second-highest-paid player next season behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The money Bertans is owed could be the most important factor if the Thunder keep him around. At this stage, the team is unlikely just to eat his contract and waive him, so a trade is Bertans’s likeliest ticket out of OKC.

Besides a deal to get a big name to the Thunder, Bertans’s salary hinders any team considering a trade for him. So, at least one season of Bertans seems probable.

While Bertans’s contract is fully guaranteed for next season, only $5 million is guaranteed in 2024-25. Bertans will need to play in at least 75% of games next season to fully guarantee the final season of his deal.

That stipulation could play a factor in his role for the Thunder. Bertans has missed the 75% games played mark in each of the last two seasons. With how the Thunder would likely use him, Bertans may hover right around that mark next season.

Last season, Bertans played only 45 games and averaged a career-low 10.9 minutes per game. He was a fringe rotational player for the Mavericks and was used in situations where they needed 3-point shooting.

After all, the outside shot is Bertans’s calling card. For his career, Bertans has shot 39.8% from beyond the arc and has had the ultimate green light at every stop.

His outside shooting could help the Thunder when the offense becomes stagnant. Bertans does not hesitate to fire from anywhere at any time. It’s been both a blessing and a curse for his teams.

Bertans will typically slot in at forward when he comes in and help open up driving lines for ball handlers like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And with his 6-foot-10, 225-pound frame, Bertans could see some stretches where plays at center and give the Thunder another option down low.

Compared to his previous three stops, OKC will never have to rely on any consistent contributions from him. Bertans’s spot in the rotation must be earned, and with OKC still focused on development, that will not be an easy task.

However, that does lend Bertans an advantage. Outside of Victor Oladipo, no one on the Thunder roster has been in the league for as long as Bertans has.

Bertans could be a clean-up guy to come in and help younger guys as they make mistakes. His impact could resemble what Mike Muscala and Derrick Favors have brought to the Thunder in recent years.

Ultimately, Bertans’s minutes would be limited because of his lackluster defense and inability to create as a ball handler. In the end, Bertans would be a great situational player and may win a game or two for the Thunder, even if he never sees big minutes.

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