According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia 76ers have interest in free agent Davis Bertans. An eight-year veteran in the NBA, Bertans ended last season with the Charlotte Hornets. It has been a busy offseason for Philadelphia, and all that remains is putting the finishing touches to the back end of their roster.
76ers Interested In Signing Three-Point Specialist
Played Last Season For The Thunder And Hornets
Turning 32 years old on November 12, Bertans has been able to remain in the league because of his outside shooting. He isn’t very interested in going inside of the arc as 79.5% of his career field goal attempts are three-point tries.
In 2023-24, Bertans received minimal playing time on a deep Oklahoma City Thunder team. The six-foot-ten forward was traded at the deadline in a deal that sent him to Charlotte. The sharpshooter began seeing the floor again with the Hornets and played 20.8 minutes per game in his 28 outings. He averaged 8.8 points with the team while connecting on 37.5% of his three-point attempts. Bertans had a partial guarantee for the 2024-25 season, but Charlotte decided to release him.
During his eight-year career, Bertans has donned the jersey of five different NBA teams. Along with Charlotte and Oklahoma City, he has spent time with the San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, and Dallas Mavericks. His most productive season came in 2019-20 with Washington when he averaged 15.4 points and finished eighth in Sixth Man of the Year voting. For his career, Bertans has made 39.5% from three-point territory.
Davis Bertans Would Help Strengthen A 76ers Weakness From Last Season
Philadelphia currently has 13 players on standard contracts for the 2024-25 season. That leaves two roster spots open, although there is a strong likelihood they may want to keep one spot open to begin the regular season.
Bringing in Bertans would help strengthen an area where the 76ers were slightly below-average last season. In 2023-24, their 12.1 threes made per game ranked 22nd (out of 30 teams) and their 36.3% three-point accuracy ranked 18th. Philadelphia has made other moves in free agency that should help them in these categories. Most notably, they signed nine-time All-Star Paul George who made a career-best 41.3% from deep last season. They also signed 16-year veteran Eric Gordon, a career 37.1% three-point shooter (37.8% in 2023-24). The 76ers also signed Caleb Martin, a near league-average three-point shooter in the regular season, but someone who has made more than 40% from beyond the arc in the postseason.
The 76ers are also reportedly interested in forward Marcus Morris. It would be a reunion of sorts for the 34-year-old as he played 37 games for Philadelphia last season. He later was involved in a three-team deal that sent him to the San Antonio Spurs. He was subsequently waived by San Antonio and later signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Last season, he shot 40.3% from three-point range and is at 37.7% for his career.
Led by the signing of George, the 76ers are seen on the short list of Eastern Conference contenders next season. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, they have the second-best odds (+425) to win the East and the third-best odds (+850) to win the 2025 NBA Finals.
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