Los Angeles Clippers Officially Sign 16-Year NBA Veteran

The Los Angeles Clippers have officially signed a 16-year player.

Mar 20, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nicolas Batum (40) dunks against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Nicolas Batum is coming off his 16th year in the NBA.

The veteran forward finished the season with averages of 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest while shooting 45.3% from the field and 39.5% from the three-point range in 60 games for the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers.

After spending most of the season with Philadelphia, Batum has now officially signed with the Clippers.

Via Clippers.com on July 10: "The LA Clippers have signed forward Nicolas Batum, it was announced by President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank."

Welcome back, Nico ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/rcezfmPkd6

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) July 10, 2024

The Clippers also released a statement from President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank.

Frank via Clippers.com: "It’s hard to find a better connector with a higher IQ than Nico. We didn’t want to lose him last year and we felt his absence. He plays the game the right way, which our fans appreciate, and so do we. We’re thrilled to welcome back the battalion."

Batum Battalion assemble! 🫡🫡 https://t.co/yWbPQFkDYi

— Nicolas Batum (@nicolas88batum) July 10, 2024

Batum was the 25th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and has also spent time with the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers (in addition to the Clippers and 76ers).

His career averages are 10.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest while shooting 43.7% from the field and 36.6% from the three-point range in 1,053 regular season games.

He has also appeared in 69 NBA playoff games (42 starts).

Apr 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nicolas Batum (40) drives past Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the fourth quarter of a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

As for the Clippers, they are coming off a year where they lost to Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA playoffs.