Should Bulls Push to Sign Nicolas Batum to Contract Amid Free Agency Rumors?
Nicolas Batum is declining his $3.3 million player option with the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2022-23 season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. And now, there are a number of teams reportedly showing interest in the 33-year-old forward.
That list appears to start with the Clippers. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports recently reported that Los Angeles is "in the driver’s seat" to bring back Batum, who has spent the past two seasons with the team. But the Clippers aren't going to be alone in their pursuit of the 14-year NBA veteran.
Haynes listed the following teams as ones that are likely to have "strong interest" in Batum this summer: the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz. Haynes also shared that it's "widely expected" Batum will want to sign a two-year deal.
It isn't surprising that the Bulls could pursue Batum. They need to add depth on the wings, and he's the type of player who would help them improve defensively and with their outside shooting. Those are areas where Chicago needs to get better, especially as it looks to contend for an NBA title with its current core.
Batum's time with the Clippers proved that he can still be a valuable role player. Over those two seasons, he played in 126 games and made 92 starts, averaging 8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from three-point range.
Even though Batum doesn't have an overwhelming amount of playoff experience (58 career postseason games, 19 of which came during the 2020-21 season with the Clippers), he's still a veteran mentor. And that could help the Bulls, who have some young players looking to take their game to the next level.
That's among the reasons why Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago believes Batum would be a great fit in Chicago.
"Yes, it can be argued that his age could foreshadow a looming physical drop-off," Schaefer wrote. "But if last season showed anything, it's that the Bulls could use more veteran minds around the team as they look to build on the franchise's first playoff berth in five years."
There's a chance Batum may not have a ton more left in the tank, as Schaefer alluded to. But as long as he's playing for a contending team, he appears to still have enough to fill a valuable role, especially if he's coming off the bench.
It wouldn't be the flashiest move that Chicago could make this offseason, and the team would likely still need to sign or trade for other players to fill spots on its roster. But this is the type of addition that could pay dividends over the course of a long season, especially when it gets closer to playoff time and once the postseason arrives.
The Bulls shouldn't be willing to pay too much to keep Batum from returning to the Clippers. But if the cost is reasonable, Chicago should push hard to bring in the veteran forward on the type of two-year deal that he's reportedly seeking.
