Report: Wizards' Bertans becomes 1st player to sit out NBA return
Washington Wizards forward Davis Bertans won't suit up when the 2019-20 NBA season resumes in late July, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim Bontemps.
Bertans is the first NBA player to voluntarily sit out, and his decision is a preventive measure that's reportedly fully supported by the club.
The 6-foot-10 sharpshooter has twice torn his right ACL and is set to cash in this offseason after a breakout campaign.
Bertans averaged a career-high 15.4 points per contest and ranks seventh in the Association with a 42.4% clip from distance.
Washington holds a 24-40 record and sits 5 1/2 games back of the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic. The Wizards will force a play-in game for the Eastern Conference's final postseason spot if they are able to come within four games of the No. 8 spot by the end of the "seeding games."
The club will be able to sign a substitute player for the prorated minimum, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.