LA Clippers: 3 ideal replacements if Nicolas Batum doesn’t re-sign
By Evan Desai
It’ll be tough to find LA Clippers fans who don’t want to see Nicolas Batum re-sign with the team this offseason.
There’s a lot to like about Batum’s fit with the Clips, and he needs to be a priority this summer.
He provides veteran leadership, strong defense and versatility on defense, and consistent three-point shooting. He’ll likely not be a very costly option for the Clips this summer too. Finding a new free agent that checks all of those boxes will be tough, but could possibly be found.
No. 3 ideal replacement if Nicolas Batum doesn’t re-sign with the LA Clippers: Otto Porter Jr.
Otto Porter Jr. fits with the LA Clippers due to his strong three-point shooting.
The Clippers were the best shooting team in the NBA last year, and Porter has a history of shooting the lights out.
He’s actually been a better three-point shooter than Batum in his career. Batum has a lifetime three-point percentage of 36% compared to Porter’s 40.2%.
Porter is coming off of a contract he signed to be worth $26,631,244 per year on average. He didn’t earn it in his play overall, so he’ll be much cheaper this offseason.
He still is, however, a quality three-point shooting forward who at 6’8″ can play both the three and the four. Averaging five rebounds per game in his career and over a steal per game, he’s well-rounded too. He should be looked into if the Clips can’t bring back Batum.