Don't look now, but the Charlotte Hornets are quietly building something in the Eastern Conference. After nine losing seasons since 2004-05, the hornets have made the post-season in two of the last three years. No, they didn't advance passed the first-round this time around, but they did play hard in a competitive seven-game series against the Miami Heat.
One of the main components of this year's solid 48-34 team is Nicolas Batum. The former Portland Trail Blazer was arguably Charlotte's most important player this season, but he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. With his value at an all-time high, will the 27-year-old Frenchman re-sign with the Hornets?
The answer looks to be yes, as a new report from FIBA.com suggests that Batum will agree to a deal with the Hornets in time for him to play for France's national team ahead of August's Rio Olympics. Here's the important bit of the report:
"It is understood that the French player and the Hornets will quickly agree to terms on a new deal and that could give France enough time to obtain insurance for Batum and allow him to take part in some of the OQT games."
Batum, an eight-year veteran, averaged a career-high 14.9 points in 35 minutes for Charlotte this past season, starting 70 total games. In addition, he hauled in 6.1 rebounds and dished out 5.8 assists per game while playing his usual level of above-average defense. He enters free agency at a time when the NBA's salary cap is spiking to around $92 million, a high mark for the league that will allow free agents to score more top dollar deals than ever before. Expediting his free agent process may enable him to represent France in the games, but it may also cost him some negotiating leverage on the open market.
Last offseason, the Trail Blazers traded Batum to Charlotte in return for power forward Noah Vonleh and shooting guard Gerald Henderson. He was one of four Portland starters who left either trade or free agency.
France is set to play the Philippines and New Zealand in group competition and may possible see Canada, Senegal or Turkey in knockout play.
