French Pippen retired for another year! From 1 to 5, an all-around fighter, 120 million contracts are pitted by Jordan

On May 20, the NBA playoffs have entered the division finals. As the season deepens, the 24-25 season is about to end. After this season, many stars may be away from us. It is hard to say whether Paul will choose to retire. Even if James does not retire, he may only play for another 1-2 years, and the rest, such as Jordan Jr. and Lowry, may announce their retirement in the offseason.

Recently, Batum talked about his offseason choice in an interview. He said: I plan to implement my player options. This may be my last season. The plan is like this. Yes, it is very, very likely this is my last season. As for what to do in the future, I have no idea yet. Batum and the Clippers still have a 4.9 million player option a year. He is now 36 years old and is at the age to consider when he retires.

When it comes to Batum, I believe old fans are familiar with him. He was the No. 25 pick in the first round in 2008. He was selected by the Rockets that year and was sent to the Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers were the beginning of Batum's career. Relying on his outstanding ball maker and versatility, he became a key rotation for the team in the second year of his career. He averaged 10 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 25 minutes per game. Relying on his outstanding performance, Batum firmly took the team's starting position in the third year of his career.

In the fourth year of his career, he was able to score 14 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. Next season, the Trail Blazers selected Lillard, and they formed the Trail Blazers Five Tigers of Ad, Lillard, Batum, Matthews and Lopez Jr. It is estimated that many old fans have an impression of this. However, after the 14-15 season, Ade was unable to succeed in the Trail Blazers for many years, so he chose to join the Spurs. The Trail Blazers also decided to rebuild around Lillard. Batum, who was put on the shelves, was appreciated by Jordan.

At that time, Batum was already a well-known blue-collar forward in the league. He was very comprehensive and could be said to be able to play from No. 1 to No. 4, able to attack with the ball, and can also be involved without the ball. He was 2.06 meters tall and could defend multiple positions. Therefore, he was also nicknamed by France Pippen. Jordan liked his omnipotence very much and finally got him the deal. Batum proved how outstanding he was in his first season with the Hornets, and he helped the bottom Hornets make it to the playoffs.

Batum averaged 15 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks in the regular season this year. He performed very comprehensively. When Jordan saw that he led the team to the playoffs, he gave a five-year, 120 million contract extension. This was definitely a big contract in the era at that time. However, he began to suffer from injuries and, coupled with the Hornets' desire to pursue their achievements, he also began to sink into decline, and his performance was worse than that of one year, and he did not work hard, so he became a premium contract and lost his peak.

In his last season after leaving the Hornets, he averaged only 3.6 4.5 rebounds and 3 assists per game. However, when the Clippers saw Batum's all-round ability, they still planned to give him a chance and signed him with a basic salary contract. In the Clippers, Batum saw hope of winning, he rekindled his fighting spirit, and realized that if he continued to sink like the Hornets' era, he would have no ball to play. Batum proved himself this season in the Clippers, averaging 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1 steal, and finally helped the Clippers reach the Western Conference Finals.

Because of his outstanding performance, Batum directly received a two-year, 22 million contract renewal contract in the offseason. He regained his value in the Clippers. It turns out that he did not lose his peak during the Hornets, but did not want to play. It can be said that his big contract was a pity for Boss Qiao. In the years with the Clippers, Batum relied on his own versatility to help the team reach the playoffs repeatedly, but in 23 years he was used as Harden's trading chip and was sent to the 76ers.

After that after the 76ers played for a year, he may still be concerned about his old team, the Clippers. In the offseason, he re-signed a two-year, 9.6 million contract renewal with the Clippers. That is, the two sides signed this contract last year. Although Batum's speed and athletic ability are obviously not as good as before, he is still very comprehensive. He can use his own versatility and football merchandising to make up for the shortcomings of his athletic ability. Moreover, with the advent of the small ball era, Batum can now stand the No. 5 position, and he has truly achieved the ability from 1 to 5.

His return has given the Clippers a stable veteran on the bench. To be honest, if Tyron Lue hadn't adjusted his ability this season, the Clippers would have made it to the second round and even had the chance to go further. They have a good lineup thickness. Recently, the news from the US media is that the Clippers are interested in introducing a substitute point guard and a substitute inside to enhance the lineup thickness, and they will be stronger by then. Having said that, what do you want to say about Batum and the Clippers? Welcome to leave a message for discussion.