The Philadelphia 76ers are getting an unexpected body blow on Day 1 of free agency.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic reported on Sunday that veteran forward Nicolas Batum will not return to the 76ers. The news means the end of Batum’s tenure in Philadelphia after less than one full season.
The 35-year-old former first-round pick Batum arrived on the 76ers as part of the James Harden trade with the LA Clippers last November. He quickly proved to be one of Philly’s most crucial glue guys, taking tough defensive assignments, keeping the offense humming with his ball movement, and hitting 39.9 percent of his threes as a 76er. Batum even showed up in a big way during the postseason, most memorably with an unexpected scoring explosion in the play-in tournament.
Philadelphia had reportedly been expecting to re-sign Batum (along with two other veterans) this offseason. It is unclear if Batum will go to another team or just retire (as he had previously planned). But what is clear is that the 76ers are losing a massive role player, even if they could quickly soften the blow by reeling in this ex-Batum teammate.
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