The Golden State Warriors are chasing LeBron James for not the first time this offseason, but there's also another long-rumored target who they still have a shot at over two weeks into free agency.
Veteran forward Nic Batum remains available after having his team option declined by the L.A. Clippers, yet while the 37-year-old has been an intriguing target in the past, his dwindling impact brings a red flag that he may not have much left to give at the NBA level.
Warriors have had interest in Nic Batum previously
Golden State's previous interest in Batum stems back a considerable time, perhaps starting in the 2021 offseason when there was mutual interest in a signing according to Warriors insider Anthony Slater.
Batum wound up re-signing with the Clippers, something he may have come to regret considering the Warriors would go on to win the 2022 championship. Golden State once more showed interest two years ago according to NBA insider Jake Fischer, only for him to return to the Clippers again.
There was a big market for Nic Batum! Was on the Warriors’ list for partial mid-level targets, too.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) July 1, 2024
There's clearly been a lot of respect between both player and franchise, even though they've never actually come together. On The Old Man and The Three Podcast last year, Batum even credited the Warriors for extending his career thanks to their small-ball style.
You can understand Golden State's interest in Batum. Following his notable career in Portland and Charlotte, he developed into a quality role player who could defend multiple positions and shoot the three at a nearly 40% clip.
This is described in past tense because at 37-years-old, Batum is no longer the same player and understandably so. He still averaged 17.5 minutes and shot 40.4% from 3-point range last season, but he posted only 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Nic Batum again proposed as free agency target for Warriors
Despite the strong possibility that Batum heads into retirement or finishes his career back in Europe, he's still been proposed as a potential free agency target for the Warriors by CBS Sports' Robby Kalland on Wednesday.
..."They (Golden State) could look at other veteran wings on the market, like Nicolas Batum, to fill out their roster, given the uncertainty of Jimmy Butler's health for next year," Kalland wrote.
Unfortunately, as much as Batum and the Warriors may have made sense in the past, it's too little too late for this to be a real consideration given the respective standing of player and franchise right now.
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