The San Antonio Spurs traded the cheerful Boris Diaw — the Frenchman with off-the-charts basketball IQ — to the Utah Jazz for young Canadian point guard Olivier Hanlan. Diaw personified the Spurs diversity and difficult-to-handle bench play with his creative passing, ability to score, and underrated defensive prowess.
Diaw’s days as a Spur were believed to be numbered, especially after Popovich surprisingly failed to call his number even as the Spurs were getting bullied and outrun by the OKC Thunder in their 2016 playoff ouster. Diaw won a ring with the Spurs in 2014 and brought a savoir faire to San Antonio that fans appreciated. Fellow Frenchman Tony Parker may miss Diaw the most, unless Olivier Hanlan turns out to be just the backup Parker needs. Diaw may have fit in better with the Jazz in days of yore when they hailed from New Orleans and trod the French Quarter at night, but healthy he’s still a bonus for any team.
Spurs’ fans, thanks for all your messages. Great years here and a ring! Leaving but San Antonio will always be a special place to me.
— Boris Diaw (@theborisdiaw) July 5, 2016
