NBA Rumors: Charlotte Hornets waive Nicholas Batum, LA Clippers front-runners to sign him
The LA Clippers are one of the title hopefuls who will be looking to make amends in the upcoming campaign after an embarrassing exit from the playoffs in the 19/20 season. The Clippers recently clinched star free agent Serge Ibaka, and as per the latest NBA rumors,Tyronn Lue's men are set to make another important acquisition in the form of a former Charlotte Hornets star.
NBA Rumors: Charlotte Hornets waive Nicholas Batum, LA Clippers set to sign him
Nicholas Batum has been in the news recently because of Gordon Hayward's move to Charlotte Hornets. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Charlotte Hornets have waived the veteran forward, putting an end to a series of NBA rumors surrounding his future .
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The Charlotte Hornets had used waive and stretch provision on Nic Batum to create the necessary cap space to sign Gordon Hayward to his four-year, $120 million deal. Batum's $27 million salary for the 20-21 season will be stretched over three seasons, which will be a huge cap hit to the Charlotte Hornets.
Nic Batum appeared in just 22 games last season with the Charlotte Hornets, despite signing a five-year, $120 million deal in 2016. Latest NBA rumors indicate that mutiple teams were interested in signing the versatile forward, but the LA Clippers are set to acquire him after he got waived.
Batum is a career 35.7% shooter from downtown, and will be a valuable addition to the already stacked LA Clippers roster. Batum can play both small and power forward positions, and has the capability to guard multiple positions, which is an invaluable skill to have in today's NBA.
Batum was picked with the 25th pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, and was traded straight away to the Portland Trail Blazers for the rights to Darrell Arthur and Joey Dorsey. The Frenchman then got traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Gerald Henderson, Jr. and Noah Vonleh in 2015, and signed an extension the next year after impressing the fans and management in his first season for the franchise.
The Charlotte Hornets have been criticized for signing Gordon Hayward to a massive deal and waiving Nicholas Batum, which is why it will be intriguing to see how the move will pan out for all the parties involved.
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