If the Golden State Warriors miss out on the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, they could turn their attention to Nicolas Batum.
Golden State Warriors rumors have revolved around their supposed interest in the prize of the 2016 free agent class, Kevin Durant. The Warriors and every team with cap space would like to add Durant to their team, so it makes sense for the Warriors to have a Plan B in place in case signing Durant does not pan out.
The Warriors seem to have a backup plan in place, and his name is Nicolas Batum. According to Marcus Thompson II of the Mercury News, Batum is one of the players that the Warriors are considering signing at small forward.
Batum would be an excellent fit for the Warriors, as he plays on both ends of the court and possesses versatility many players do not have. He can play shooting guard or small forward, yet has the skills to also run the offense. Having him and Draymond Green on the court at the same time would give the Warriors yet another playmaker on the court alongside Stephen Curry.
Batum also has a solid jump shot, knocking down 36 percent of his career three-point attempts. That fits right in with what the Warriors want to do offensively, as they want to shoot the three ball, and shoot it often. That is partly why he is a better fit for the Warriors than someone such as Evan Turner, as Turner does not have the jump shot Batum does.
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But, the competition to sign Batum will be fierce, as many teams will be in on him. His skill set is one that almost any team in the NBA would want to have on their team, as he should receive multiple max contract offers.
One of those teams is the Charlotte Hornets, which is where Batum played this season. They would like to retain him, and there is a chance that the Warriors, and every team for that matter, do not even have a chance to talk to Batum. Rumors earlier in the offseason said that the Hornets and Batum would hammer out a deal early in the free agent process so that he could play for the French national team this summer in their Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
If that is the case, Batum will not spend much time being wooed by organizations, as he would want to join the national team as quickly as he can. It also brings up an interesting question about what to do with incumbent small forward, Harrison Barnes.
Barnes looked like he was a shoo-in for a max deal this summer, but then the NBA Finals happened. Barnes picked a poor time to go into a shooting slump, which could have the Warriors thinking about replacing him with another player this summer.
The Warriors will have to decide if shelling out the extra money is worth replacing Barnes. Barnes’ max contract he can receive from a team is $23.5 million; as a restricted free agent the Warriors would have the right to match any offer that he receives.
Is that too rich for the Warriors’ blood? Because anyone outside the organization would probably cost more. Batum’s max could reach $28 million; is he truly worth that much more than Barnes, even if he is theoretically a great fit for the team?
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It is a decision the Warriors will have to make in the coming weeks, as they look to retool after their collapse in the 2016 NBA Finals. Is Barnes someone they should replace, shelling out the extra money for an external free agent? Or should they retain Barnes and look to upgrade elsewhere?