The Los Angeles Clippers won the Nicolas Batum sweepstakes this past offseason, and it turns out there were a lot more suitors than expected. The Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, and Brooklyn Nets were obviously in the hunt for the French forward, but Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says his team was also pursuing Batum.
“We tried hard on Batum ourselves,” Kerr admitted before the Warriors visited the Clippers for Thursday night's matchup. “We have always admired him from afar.”
Batum secured a buyout from the Charlotte Hornets last August and was quickly a hot commodity in free agency with many teams looking to bolster their wing depth. The Clippers won, thanks to recruitment pitches from Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, as well as Tyronn Lue, and they've been enjoying Batum's versatility and skill set en route to the third-best record in the Western Conference.
“I think players like Batum are difficult to come by,” Kerr added. “He can guard pretty much four positions, he can make 3s, and he is a really good passer. He just gives them extra versatility, another secondary playmaker, a passer who makes the game easier for everyone, very smart. I thought that was probably the best signing of the entire offseason in the NBA when you consider the fact that the Clippers got him for the minimum and here he is starting on a championship-caliber team.
"We tried hard on Batum ourselves. We've always admired him from afar. I think players like Batum are difficult to come by… I thought that was the probably the best signing of the entire offseason in the NBA."
Warriors coach Steve Kerr on Clippers’ forward Nic Batum. pic.twitter.com/vF6wAwJmOx
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 12, 2021
The Warriors were pummeled by the Clippers later that evening by a score of 130-104. Batum finished with a quiet line of eight points, two rebounds, and an assist, but he only played 16 minutes as the Clippers went up by as many as 39 points late in the third quarter.
Golden State will now be off until Sunday, when they play host to Utah. The Clippers embark on a three-game road trip that includes the Dallas Mavericks twice, as well as the New Orleans Pelicans.
Also, watch Nicolas Batum's exclusive interview with Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints here:
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