Wife says Nicolas Batum plans to retire after end of next season
Nicolas Batum, the 15-year NBA veteran, has said before that he planned to retire from international basketball after the Paris Olympics next summer in his native France.
However, he's retiring from more than that, he's retiring from the NBA as well, according to his wife, Lily Batum, on X (formerly Twitter).
Nico a décidé de mettre un terme à sa carrière (NBA et EDF) après les JO
Donc il s’agit de sa dernière saison avec les Clippers— . (@LilyEBatum) August 14, 2023
"Nico decided to end his career (NBA and international) after the Olympics. So this is his last season with the Clippers."
Batum is under contract with the Clippers for $11.7 million next season. Last season he played about 21 minutes a night for the Clippers, mainly off the bench, and averaged 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds a game. At age 34, he is a solid, reliable veteran Tyron Lue trusts.
Batum also has come up in trade rumors, primarily with him headed to Philadelphia in the nowhere-near-close James Harden trade to Los Angeles. After 15 years in the league, the veteran may no longer want to be trade fodder or a veteran mentor on the bench with fewer and fewer minutes.
However, money can talk, and the NBA pays well. It's something worth watching as we near the end of the season.
