Nicolas Batum didn't spend a ton of time with the Philadelphia 76ers, but it's clear that the city and the franchise had an impact on the veteran forward.
Before NBA teams get to training camp, Batum officially took himself off the free agency market. After giving the league 18 years of service, Batum decided to announce his retirement. Although he played the fewest games for the Sixers (57 regular-season appearances), Batum made it clear that he will still be rooting for the 76ers in 2026-2027.
"Sing the song!" Batum wrote on X. "Philly, I’ll be rooting for you! My son is the number 1 Maxey fan!"
Months before Batum made his final career decision, he revealed that his biggest regret in the NBA is the fact that he didn't spend more time playing with Tyrese Maxey--specifically earlier in his career. With Maxey being Batum's favorite player, and a special one at that, the veteran forward clearly felt that they would've worked well together in their primes. At least Batum got a sample.
Nicolas Batum's small run with the 76ers made an impact
There is a reason why the 76ers wanted to retain Batum ahead of his age-36 season. When the Sixers traded with the Los Angeles Clippers, offloading James Harden, PJ Tucker, and Filip Petrusev, Batum was in the returning package. He started 38 out of the 57 games he played for Philadelphia.
The veteran forward attempted 3.1 shots from three per game. He averaged 39.9% from deep, putting up 5.5 points per game. Along with his scoring, Batum came down with 4.2 rebounds and dished out 2.2 assists per game. His quick-trigger from beyond the arc and sneaky-impressive passing were enough to wow fans and convince the front office that Batum should stick around for longer than his contract allowed.
During the 2024 offseason, the Sixers were rumored to have an interest in bringing Batum back. However, the Los Angeles Clippers simply had the upper hand. With Batum so late in his career, packing up and moving out East was a tough situation. He didn't want to leave the Clippers, and they were willing to bring him back, leaving the 76ers to lose out on his services in free agency.
Just because Batum slipped away doesn't mean it's personal. Clearly, the retired veteran will be paying close attention to the new-look 76ers, who added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to the lineup that already employed Batum's ex-teammates, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.
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