Phoenix Suns: Davis Bertans is a realistic free agent target

The Phoenix Suns will have some money to spend this offseason in free agency. As we continue to scan the pool of options, Davis Bertans looks like he could be a nice fit.

As the Phoenix Suns’ season looks as though it will be coming to an end, it is only appropriate to start looking forward to next season. The Suns will have a lot on their plate this offseason, the draft, possible trades, their own players and their contracts, and finally free-agency. This year’s free-agent class is not what 2019 put out and it will not be what 2021 will be either, but there are a few players that could really help the Suns to take another leap in the right direction.

Over the next few days, I will profile a few players that could be a great fit for the Suns. First up, is Davis Bertans.

Bertans is the Latvian sharp-shooter who has one of the purest jump shots in the game. Bertans is as good of a shooter this league has seen. Watching film on him should really make the Suns front office jump at the opportunity to get Bertans.

With the absence of Klay Thompson and Steph Curry due to injury, Bertans was probably the best shooter in the league this season and even if those two players were playing he would give them a run for their money. I can not stress enough how great of a shooter this guy is. Whether it is off of a catch and shoot, off the dribble, a pump-fake letting the defender fly by, or even from the midcourt logo, when this man shoots the ball, everyone in the gym believes it is going to go in.

The stats back it up. This year, he shot 42.9 percent from behind the arc on a huge sample size of 8.7 attempts per game (472 total attempts).

How can you not want someone like that on your basketball team? The Phoenix Suns lacked three-point shooting this season and with an addition such as Bertans, they will see their 3-point shooting elevate. Obviously, the league knows how great of a shooter he is, but it does not matter because when he catches it with any space at all, the ball will go up and in.

Watch him walk into this deep 3-point shot (one of eight he would make in his game) and also draw the foul:

He is very much like Klay Thompson on the offensive side of the ball. He will come off staggered screens and catch and shoot whether he is on or off-balanced. His release is one of the fastest I have seen in the game, and his continued progression in his ability to shoot off the dribble and shoot from anywhere is what makes him special.

Bertans is not nearly what Thompson is defensively, and that is why Thompson will be a Hall of Famer one day, but Bertans can shoot the ball with anyone in the league and is a player that is electrifying to watch play.

Given the Suns’ cap space to make a move, I think Bertans is the most realistic player the Suns could get from this year’s free-agents. Bertans is a fan favorite wherever he goes because he is a guy that does not look like he can play basketball until he steps out on the floor and hits eight threes in your face in all variations.

It would be interesting to see how Monty Williams would implement him into the rotation, but a player with his ability would complement so many players on this current Suns team. After coming off a very impressive 54 games for the Wizards this year, he will enter free agency with the mentality of getting paid.

No team is going to give him a max contract, but if I were James Jones I would not be reluctant to pay him a couple of million dollars over market value to suit up for the Phoenix Suns.