Nicolas Batum, the widely popular French forward, declined his $4.9 million player option with the Clippers and reportedly will become a free agent. It is believed that the NBA veteran will negotiate a new deal to stay in Los Angeles.
Batum, 36, has repeatedly said he wants to stay with the Clippers, where he has made an impact with his versatile defense and floor spacing in a limited role.
He averaged 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 17.5 minutes off the bench, while shooting 43.7% from the field and a career-high 43.3% from 3-point range.
In the first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, Batum proved even more valuable as his playing time increased by nearly seven minutes a game from the regular season, and he contributed 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 blocks.
Batum was with the Clippers from 2020-23 until they included him in the trade that brought James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers early in the 2023-24 season. He returned to Los Angeles on a two-year deal that featured a player option last summer, reuniting two sides that never wanted to part.
Coach Tyronn Lue has called Batum one of his favorite players and was delighted that Batum rejoined the team.
“He’s just all about the team, whatever you need him to do or whoever position to guard. He’s a great connector, like not looking for shots, not looking at stats of how many assists or shots he has taken,” Lue said in 2023.