36-Year-Old Forward Agrees to Terms with the Clippers
Over the past three seasons, the Los Angeles Clippers have been knocked out of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. It seems like for more than the past 15 years, this team has had championship aspirations, but a better team always got their number. Almost like this team has a curse. This past season, they were knocked out by the Denver Nuggets in a grueling seven-game series. 36-year-old small forward Nicolas Batum has always helped his team reach depths in the postseason, like with the Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, and the Philadelphia 76ers, yet he’s never had that opportunity to win a ring. As a member of the Clippers, he’s helped the team clinch the playoffs for the past five out of six seasons. Now back as a free agent once again, Batum is looking for that opportunity to win a ring. It’s been reported by Shams Charania that Batum signed a two-year, $11.5 million deal to return to the Clippers.
The 36-year-old small forward was drafted as the 25th overall pick by the Houston Rockets during the 200 NBA Draft. He would later be traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for the rights of Darrell Arthur and Joey Dorsey. During the 2011 NBA Lockout, Batum signed a one-year deal with SLCU Nancy in the French Basketball League. He returned to Portland after the lockout ended. Almost a year later, he agreed to a four-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves; however, the Blazers matched the deal, keeping Batum on the roster until the 2015-2016 season. Portland kept the 36-year-old small forward until the end of the 2014-2015 season when they traded him to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Gerald Henderson Jr. and Noah Vonleh. During the 2015-2016 offseason, Batum signed a five-year, $120 million deal to stay in Charlotte. He stayed with the team until November 2020, when the team waived him. Once he cleared waivers, he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Batum was a member of the Clippers until November 2023, when he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a seven-player deal that involved James Harden. At the end of that one season in Philly, the French native signed back with the Clippers.
This past season, the 36-year-old small forward played in 78 games with the Clippers. He averaged about 18 minutes a game, recording roughly four points, three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. On March 7th, during a 105-95 victory over the New York Knicks, Batum scored 17 points while also putting up four rebounds, an assist, two steals, and two blocks. Now, back with the Clippers, the French native hopes to achieve the big goal of winning it all.
