The Golden State Warriors diverted expectations by staying quiet on draft night, choosing to pick up young prospects instead of trading for win-now pieces.
Still, they have their eyes set on a number of players in free agency, including veteran wing Nicolas Batum, who recently revived his career as a member of the L.A. Clippers.
According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Dubs are convinced he’d be a perfect fit in their system, and there exists a mutual level of interest.
There is mutual interest between Batum and the Warriors, sources said. He’s currently in Tokyo, competing for France. But there is expected to be contact with his representation early in the free-agency process. Batum, sources said, understands how well he’d fit the Warriors’ system and, as a notable bonus, has an established relationship with new assistant Kenny Atkinson, who coached him last season with the Clippers.
Batum may not be a particularly game-changing acquisition for the Warriors, but make no mistake about it: he’d make a positive impact.
As a capable defender and consistent scorer, he’s the type of player that is easy to play with and always makes himself useful on the floor.
With averages of 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game for the Clippers in 2020-21, he’s a guy that will consistently produce for the Warriors, especially off of open looks from Steph and Klay.
Of course, the franchise will have to compete with a number of their competitors for Batum’s services, so it will be interesting to note just how much they value the veteran forward.
