According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, the Clippers have re-signed veteran forward Nicolas Batum to a 2-year, $22 million contract.

It’s a perfect number for Batum, who took a paycut last season to give the team more flexibility and now is able to sign a more lucrative deal with the Clippers having his early bird rights. Those rights allow the team to pay him up to 105% of the league average salary, which is right around these estimated numbers. Early bird contracts must run for at least two seasons before any options, which is why this is a common deal for returning veterans who have been with teams for two seasons–and the same exact deal the Clippers signed Reggie Jackson to last summer. Batum was expected to be courted by numerous teams, but it never seemed likely that there would be a legitimate threat to lure him away from the Clippers. The veteran forward will turn 34 this December and the team will hope to keep him in the mix with a low minutes load throughout the year before turning to him more heavily in their small-ball postseason lineups.

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Lucas Hann

Lucas Hann

Lucas has covered the Clippers since 2011, and has been credentialed by the team since 2014. He co-founded 213Hoops with Robert Flom in January 2020.  He is a graduate of Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, CA and St. John's University in Queens, NY.  He earned his MA in Communication and Rhetorical Studies from Syracuse University.

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