Nicolas Batum will test the free agency waters this 2022 offseason.
The veteran forward will not exercise his player option worth $3.3 million for the 2022-2023 season (h/t ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski). As such, there is an expectation that both of him and the Los Angeles Clippers are interested to build a potential deal once again.
Batum is a significant versatile piece of Ty Lue’s rotation for the past two seasons, occasionally serving as a small ball center and a backup ball handler. Last 2021-2022 campaign, he tallied an average of 8.3 points, 4.3 boards, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals in 46.3 percent shooting across 59 games.
The Clippers came up short to nail a 2022 postseason seat in back-to-back Play-in games, crumbling against both the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New Orleans Pelicans. With the expected return of Kawhi Leonard, the club is being considered as a strong title contender for next year.
