When the final free agency rankings are dished out, it's hard to imagine the Philadelphia 76ers won't be among the belles of the NBA's ball.
They landed the biggest free agent on the market in Paul George, giving the podcasting combo forward a four-year, $212 million max contract, filled out their roster with familiar faces like Kelly Oubre and Andre Drummond, and even pulled off coups against the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat, stealing Eric Gordon and Caleb Martin on deals worth less per-year than their 2024-25 players' options.
And yet, while fans are excited about free agency, the draft – Jared McCain, Adem Bona, and Justin Edwards all look like players – and the future, there is one player the 76ers will miss immensely heading into the fall, as they still haven't fully found a way to replace him just yet: Nicholas Batum.
After initially landing in Philadelphia as a throw-in part of the James Harden trade, Batum played some of the best ball of his career for Nick Nurse last fall, establishing himself as a two-way contributor, a connective passer, and an entry pass servant, aka all of the things a team wants around an all-world paint presence like Joel Embiid. He hit just a shade under 40 percent of his 3s, brought in 4.2 rebounds and game, and, despite his meager 5.5 points per game, was easily one of Philly's most important players, even if that wasn't the expectation when he was acquired.
While it's impossible to know how much Philly offered the French forward in free agency, one has to imagine something similar to what Oubre landed in the $8 million annual range, Batum ultimately decided to return to LA and his favorite coach Ty Lue, who he has a very special connection with, on a two-year, $9.6 million.
Should Philly have fought harder for Batum? Yes, he really was a perfect fit next to Embiid and would absolutely be a top-8 player on this team, even if they did all of the same other moves. Factor in his relationship with PG, who he played with in LA, and Batum's presence will certainly be missed this fall.
*sigh* oh well, I guess there's always the trade deadline, where Batum could be forced to return to Philly should the Clippers decide he isn't a core piece of their roster moving forward.
For Nicolas Batum, leaving the 76ers was personal
Speaking to reporters about his free agency as part of his media availability for France's Olympic team, Batum revealed that despite having interest from more than half of the Association, he decided to return to LA and Lue, even though said team traded him away last fall.
“It’s a return, indeed,” Nicolas Batum said via HoopsHype. “I had several options, a lot of options – 17 to be exact. It’s a good thing. I’ll be reuniting with Ty Lue in a project I really like. It’s a good thing.”
Now, for fans out of the know, Batum and Lue don't have your normal dynamic, as back in 2022, the French forward explained his unique connection to the championship-winning head coach, as he didn't know if he'd even still be in the NBA if the Clippers didn't give him a chance after a failed tenure in Charlotte.
“[The Clippers] gave me another chance in this league to compete and be a basketball player, so I think that's kind of my way to say thank you. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win games and do something special. Even on the best day of my life,” Batum told reporters via Sports Illustrated.
“Ty Lue saved my life, so I'll stay with T-Lue unless they kick me out. He saved my career.”
After initially signing a four-year, $46 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012, Batum was traded to Charlotte in 2015 and inked a massive new five-year $120 million deal to become a focal point of the Hornets into the future. And yet, as the team slowly stopped taking contention seriously, Batum fell out of favor and was waived from the team in November 2020. Signing with the Clippers as a free agent, Batum found a home with Lue and ended up re-signing with the team multiple times before being traded to Philly last fall.
While only time will tell how this current run shakes out, as he could be a few twos away from being on the move once more, for now, he's happy to be back in LA for another run with Lue, and that feeling appears to be mutual, as the Clippers had plenty of other options to use their money on and still picked Batum.
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