The Philadelphia 76ers finally parted ways with James Harden earlier this week, trading the disgruntled star to the Los Angeles Clippers in a blockbuster deal that landed them numerous players and draft picks. One of those players was Nicolas Batum, who spent three seasons with the Clips.
Batum has already been ruled out for the Sixers' game against the Raptors on Thursday due to personal reasons and after he was moved suddenly, the Frenchman's wife, Lily Batum, seemingly called out the Clippers for shipping her husband to a new team with no warning:
— 𝕃𝕚𝕝𝕪 𝔼.𝔹𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕞🪬 (@LilyEBatum) October 31, 2023
She used the message from Lauren Holiday, the wife of Jrue Holiday, while using a “trust nobody” GIF beside it. Holiday was extremely vocal after the Milwaukee Bucks traded Jrue for Damian Lillard. The defensive mainstay woke up from a nap to learn he'd been moved just a day after saying he wanted to be a Buck for life.
This is just the harsh reality of the business. Nicolas Batum probably didn't even consider the possibility of being on a new team this season but it's just what athletes in general have to deal with, especially in the NBA when organizations are going all out to build superteams. Batum actually said at his introductory press conference in Philly that Lily woke him up Tuesday to reveal the news.
Batum brings respectable defense and solid three-point shooting to the table for the Sixers. He's shot 36.5% from downtown for his career and has drained 40% of his triples in two of the last three seasons. A nice addition for Philadelphia who should see a fair share of minutes.
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