Nicolas Batum, Hornets Agree to New Contract

After a surprisingly strong season from the Charlotte Hornets, they took one step toward securing their short-term future by signing Nicolas Batum to a five-year extension, per Shams Charania of The Vertical.

harlotte surprised quite a few NBA followers when it acquired Batum from the Portland Trail Blazers for Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh. However, most of the optimism surrounding his arrival was offset by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's shoulder surgery.

His signing will be a big boost for the Hornets, and it is a relative bargain of a deal, per the Washington Post's Tim Bontemps:

Batum was eligible for a maximum contract of $153 million over five years from Charlotte, per ESPN.com's MacMahon and Marc J. Spears.

Injuries and poor shooting plagued the versatile Frenchman in 2015-16, but he was an upgrade for Charlotte's rotation. He became one of the Hornets' most valuable members of the backcourt, helping to bring some three-point shooting that was sorely lacking in the past.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, Batum's usage rate climbed to 21.4 percent, a somewhat significant increase over the majority of his time with the Trail Blazers. As a result, he posted a career-high 14.9 points, in addition to 6.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.

Batum didn't have quite the expected impact on the defensive end, with the Hornets giving up 26.2 fewer points with him off the court, perNBA.com.

Still, most fans will be more than satisfied with his overall contributions, and he has been a hit with his teammates.

"He's got an incredible basketball IQ," said Marvin Williams of Batum in November, per Sports Illustrated's Kenny Ducey. "He knows where guys are supposed to be, he knows where guys like the ball, which is why I think he makes his teammates better. He's a hell of a player. I've competed against him for a lot of years now, so it's kind of fun to play with him."

Batum has also built a strong rapport with head coach Steve Clifford, going so far as to say Clifford's extension would likely play a role in his decision about whether to stay in Charlotte, per Rick Bonnell of theCharlotte Observer: "He trusts me. He believes in me. So that could be a big factor."

Not only are the Hornets keeping around one of their better players, they're also hedging their bets at 2-guard with Jeremy Lamb on the bench.

Lamb may earn $7 million annually over the next three years, but that will be the going rate for a rotational wing player once the salary cap explodes. Charlotte likely doesn't plan on building around Lamb at the 2. As a result, losing Batum would have meant needing to find another shooting guard either via free agency or in the NBA draft.

The timing of this move is also helpful for Charlotte since it can focus more of its efforts on re-signing Al Jefferson. Keeping their core players together, along with a healthy Kidd-Gilchrist, for the start of next year will make the Hornets a possible top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.