Hornets Rumors: Nicolas Batum To Sign Early In Free Agency
Charlotte Hornets Rumors: Nicolas Batum is expected to sign a deal early in the free agent process so that he can participate in the Olympic qualifying tournament with France.
Charlotte Hornets rumors will begin picking up once the offseason starts as they have a ton of free agency questions to answer. The team could look a lot different next season, as they have multiple players that contributed to their playoff run set to hit free agency.
Al Jefferson, Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee and Marvin Williams will all be free agents, but arguably the most important one will be Nicolas Batum.
The Hornets acquired Batum last offseason from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh. It proved to be a great move for the Hornets, as Batum helped push them over the hump in the Eastern Conference, finishing with the fifth seed.
The do-it-all forward was an excellent complement next to the attacking Kemba Walker and Lin, initiating the offense if need be. He averaged 5.8 assists per game, which led the team, and added 6.1 rebounds with 14.9 points.
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That is production that would not be easy to replace, so it makes sense that the Hornets would want to retain him. But, Batum is likely to receive a lot of attention in free agency, as he is one of the top players available to sign this summer.
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One way to negate the other teams is to agree to a deal early in the process. That looks to be what the Hornets and Batum plan to do, as Batum wishes to play for France in the Olympic qualifying tournament this summer.
According to a report on the FIBA.com website, Batum will re-sign with the Hornets in a timely manner that allows him to take part in the OQT.
"“It is understood that the French player and the Hornets will quickly agree terms on a new deal and that could give France enough time to obtain insurance for Batum and allow him to take part in some of the OQT games.”"
Previously, Batum’s agent said that his client would stay in the United States to resolve his NBA future and that the paperwork would not be done in time for Batum to take part according to the FIBA.com report.
But now, there is an understanding that Batum will re-sign early in the process, not only settling his NBA future but allowing himself to play for the national team.
France will begin playing friendlies in preparation for the tournament on June 16, while the OQT begins for France on July 5. The team will gather and start the process on June 10 in Pau, France.
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Batum is expected to be there for the start of everything, but will not take part in drills or scrimmages to avoid contract and injury. But, if the report from FIBA.com is true, it would not be long afterwards that Batum is going all out with his French teammates.