The Philadelphia 76ers recently traded James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers after a prolonged period of drama throughout the offseason. The blockbuster trade involved multiple future Draft picks and six other players, including the French forward Nicolas Batum. After the news of the trade spread through social media, Batum’s wife Lily E. Batum reposted Jrue Holiday’s wife Lauren Holiday’s recent Instagram post on X to highlight a major problem players face after being traded.
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Last month, Jrue Holiday was traded to the Boston Celtics to facilitate a deal that saw Damian Lillard sign for the Milwaukee Bucks. After the deal was announced, Lauren Holiday went to her Instagram to write a heartwarming ‘Thank You’ note to the city of Milwaukee. However, Holiday also pointed out in the emotional post how rude it was to compel a player and his family to uproot their entire household without even showing the courtesy to inform them in advance.
Although, these scenarios are often described as ‘part of the business’, Lauren Holiday pointed out how personal such decisions can be, “On Wednesday, my husband took a nap. He woke up to the news that he had been moved. No warning, no heads up, no conversation that it could be a possibility. Just, it’s done. ‘It’s not personal, it’s business.”
“Yes, this is more than business…we are people, we’re humans, we have relationships, dreams, and a connection to where we play,” she added. Facing a similar situation after her husband’s sudden trade, Lily E. Batum decided to highlight Holiday’s argument by sharing her remarks. She added a “Trust Nobody” quote from Tupac with the post to indicate the Batum family’s position right now.
Blockbuster NBA trades usually involve big name superstars moving from one franchise to another. In the process, role players and ‘others’ are traded like pawns in a game of chess. Both Holiday and Batum highlight a fair point that front offices should at least have the decency to give a ‘heads up’ to players before asking them and their families to uproot their homes and the relationships they had built with the local communities.
Fans are not happy with Nicolas Batum-James Harden trade
Clippers fans are not exactly thrilled to welcome James Harden to LA. The veteran guard has built a reputation of seeking a way out whenever things get tough for the team. Moreover, his poor showing during crucial postseason games do not increase the Clippers’ chances to win it all this season.
FS1 host Skip Bayless highlighted these concerns during his recent rant on UNDISPUTED, calling the Harden trade to be the Clippers’ worst nightmare. The 71-year-old also predicted that the 2018 MVP will soon demand a trade out of LA as well.
Meanwhile, Batum finds himself in Philadelphia for the remainder of the season. The 6 ft 8 forward joined the Clippers in 2020 and has been a reliable option for the team since then. He averaged 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds last season. It will be interesting to see how the 76ers utilize the services of the 34-year-old, with Joel Embiid as the starting forward of the team.
