Player’s wife appears to call out Clippers over blockbuster trade

For Batum’s part, he did absolutely everything the right way during his time with the Clippers (since the 2020-21 season). He sacrificed touches, focused on defense and floor-spacing, and even accepted less money to return to the team in the summer of 2022. Batum had a knack for making clutch threes, taking on tough perimeter defensive assignments and being a tremendous locker room veteran. At 34 years old, Batum had even spoken about how he planned to retire as a Clipper after the season.

But you cannot fault the Clippers for pulling the trigger when a player of Harden’s caliber became available (especially when they didn’t even have to give up a single one of their 20-something core players like Terance Mann, Ivica Zubac or Bones Hyland to get him). The Clippers had been linked to Harden for months before a deal actually materialized, and Batum (an $11.7 million expiring contract) was always a likely inclusion. But that still won’t make it any easier of a pill to swallow for a player like Batum who truly gave his all to the franchise.