The wife of former Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum – Lily Batum – took a shot at the franchise on social media after Batum was traded in the James Harden deal with the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
The Clippers traded Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, K.J. Martin, and Marcus Morris – as well as several draft picks – to obtain Harden, Filip Petrusev and P.J. Tucker from the Sixers.
Nicolas Batum had been with the Clippers since the 2020-21 season, and his wife didn’t seem to be a fan of the franchise trading him to Philadelphia.
She posted on social media a message not to trust anyone while also sharing a story from the wife of Jrue Holiday, who was traded by the Milwaukee Bucks this past offseason after several seasons with the team.
— 𝕃𝕚𝕝𝕪 𝔼.𝔹𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕞🪬 (@LilyEBatum) October 31, 2023
It’s understandable that Lily Batum is frustrated, especially since her husband was sent to a team that is across the country from Los Angeles.
Also, Lily Batum revealed in the offseason that the veteran forward was planning on retiring from the NBA after the 2023-24 season. Nicolas Batum had already said that he planned on retiring from international basketball following the Paris Olympics next summer, which will be held in his native country of France.
The fact that the Clippers would move on from Nicolas Batum certainly seems to have hit home.
This season, the former first-round pick appeared in three games for the Clippers, averaging 2.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 18.0 minutes per game. He’s not the offensive player that he once was earlier in his career, but he’s a trusted veteran that could help Philly compete for a title this season.
It will be interesting to see how the Sixers plan to use Nicolas Batum, Covington, Martin and Morris in their rotation alongside star Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Philly was knocked out in the second round of the playoffs last season, so the team is hoping to go further now that Harden is out of town.
Hopefully Nicolas Batum and his wife will be able to enjoy his final NBA season even though it won’t end with him on the Clippers. The veteran has never won a title in his career, so it would be a great accomplishment for him to be a part of a team that wins it all this season.
