What Does The Future Hold For Nicolas Batum?

Wendell Maxey has an update on Nicolas Batum, who is playing with the French national team and has signed with a team in the French league in case the NBA lockout is an extended one.

“When I first arrived in Portland, I was a shy kid,” Batum said. “But there is nothing like the Blazers. Portland is very special to me. It’s not every town you go to in the NBA. It’s a special city and I really miss being there. I hope the lockout ends soon, because I really do want to be back in Portland.”

There has been a lot of talk among Blazer fans about the club potentially trading Batum, because he’s one of the few players on the roster who has a fair amount of trade value. I still think that would be a big mistake.

I wrote about this 19 months ago. A lot has changed since then — Brandon Roy no longer is a sure thing, and LaMarcus Aldridge has blossomed. But I still think Batum is a future All-Star.

He regressed a bit last year, but I hope the Blazers’ asking price for him in a trade is sky high.