Los Angeles Lakers: 2016 Free Agency Should Be All About Nicolas Batum
By Chris Walton
The Los Angeles Lakers should look to pursue Nicolas Batum in 2016 free agency.
It’s not too early to look forward to the 2016 NBA Free Agency period, especially when the entire fate of a franchise hinges on who’s available to sign. The Los Angeles Lakers have been swinging and swinging for a homerun the last two seasons. They’ve chased about as many guys as possible to start the turnaround from consecutive — and likely a trio of — losing seasons.
LaMarcus Aldridge, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and LeBron James are a list guys they got to meet, greet, wine, and dine before being curved for teams with brighter futures. Speaking for myself, there was no expectation that Los Angeles would strike big, and I anticipate the trend to continue.
Kevin Durant is the biggest fish in the free agent pond this summer, and teams are loading up for the pursuit. I can’t blame the Lakers for wanting to make an attempt, but all signs point to the team falling flat as it has in its last few years. It’d be a significant step backwards for Durant to leave a contender in the Oklahoma City Thunder to join a team that’ll likely not have a head coach on deck.
To add to the Lakers’ uncertainty, there will be possible changes in the front office. Jim Buss has been well-chronicled regarding his removal as one of the team’s executives, and he spoke Los Angeles Times reporter Eric Pincus about the possibility:
"“I was laying myself on the line by saying, if this doesn’t work in three to four years, if we’re not back on the top — and the definition of top means contending for the Western Conference, contending for a championship — then I will step down because that means I have failed,” he told The Times about the meeting.“I don’t know if you can fire yourself if you own the team … but what I would say is I’d walk away and you guys figure out who’s going to run basketball operations because I obviously couldn’t do the job.”"
While the team may be thinking big, there’s one move that could easily be made depending on the amount of money they want to offer. After Kobe Bryant likely retires this season, the Lakers will have a gaping hole at small forward. After Kevin Durant, the best possibility, arguably, is Frenchman Nicolas Batum.
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Batum will be 27 years old when free agency ensues, but he’s no elder statesmen. In fact, he is exactly the kind of player that the team needs as he’s young enough to still contribute heavily, but experienced enough to mentor the younger guys. Keep in mind that Batum has play six years of EuroBasket and FIBA play, combined with five years of postseason experience.
As a Portland Trail Blazer, he was a key piece to the team’s resurgence, and has continued to be a contributing factor to the success of the Charlotte Hornets, who traded for him this summer. The Hornets, like the Trail Blazers last season, are currently in playoff position after missing them last year.
Batum went through a bit of a regression last season himself, averaging nine points per game on a career-low 40 percent shooting. What has he done this year? Batum is up to 16.9 points per game along with six rebounds and four assists. Paul George and LeBron James are two other small forwards averaging at least 15 points, four assists and five rebounds, which puts Batum in some elite company.
On defense, Batum would instantly become the Lakers’ best wing defender. Assuming they bring back big man Roy Hibbert, the two could definitely work together and clean up some of the Lakers’ defensive deficiencies.
It’s going to take a versatile player like Batum to help right the ship for the Lakers. In today’s NBA, you have to have a player that can comfortably play on the wing and the post to complete with teams like the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs out West.
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Batum wouldn’t instantly fix the Lakers’ woes, but what he can do is add an identity to a struggling team. He wouldn’t demand the ball offensively or morph into a superstar, but he’d take pride in his role and execute.