The LA Clippers have had some talented players on their roster since owner Steve Ballmer took over the team.
Paul George, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard have all been a part of the LA Clippers franchise in recent years.
Despite not having won a championship, Ballmer has been very ambitious and tried to bring the best players in the NBA to LA.
However, there have been times where the team has taken gambles, while some of them have proven to fail, including bringing in George by trading away MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Clippers have also had success with a lot of their players.
Nicolas Batum is certainly one of them, but when he was first signed there were a lot of doubts surrounding his ability to play for a team like the Clippers.
Batum’s NBA career started with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he played a crucial role on the team that was one of the best in the Western Conference.
He was then traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2015 and Batum continued performing on a high level, which led to him being offered a five-year $120 million contract.
At that time, it was a big contract, but he was never able to justify it with his performances and was eventually waived by the franchise in 2020.
It did not take too long for Batum to earn a spot on another NBA team as the Clippers came calling and he became one of the key pieces of their roster.
“T Lue saved my career,” he said when asked about his move to the Clippers after being waived.
“I was in France, so time difference, I was cleaning my living room and the toys with my son, like, ready to go to bed, and my phone popped up. Nic Batum got waived, that’s how I find out, like, nice business.
“I’m like, OK, I’m gonna retire. I thought, I pretty much thought I was done. I’m like, who’s gonna want me?” Batum added.
Batum’s ability to shoot the ball and defend at a high level were the reasons behind him becoming a key part of their roster.
In his first stint as a Clipper, Batum shot the ball over 40% in two out of three seasons and helped the team with his defensive brilliance as well.
He was then traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in the James Harden deal and put up elite numbers there, but was re-signed to the Clippers before the 2024-25 offseason.
Batum reacted to the team’s play-in game win against the Golden State Warriors on X as he was injured, but he came back in the playoffs and made some big shots to help the Clippers.
Although his move was a gamble, Batum has proven to be an important player for the Clippers over the years.
“The team got the most interest for me, that was the Clippers. I got like everybody on the phone Kawhi, PG, Ty Lue,” said Batum when talking about the move.
“So the two years I had before that awful I was number wise contract wise, the worst player in the NBA.
“I go there day, day one, and he [Ty Lue] told me I don’t give a F about the last two years, you’re gonna play for me. You’re gonna start. And I started game one and is this just him,” Batum added.
