The San Antonio Spurs drafted UCLA’s Kyle Anderson with the last pick of the first-round, a player who some deem the second-coming of free agent Boris Diaw. However, it appears basketball’s favorite portly Frenchman isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Diaw took to Instagram earlier today to announce that he’s staying with the Spurs for the long-haul.
Hey spurs fans, Good news i stay in san antonio for a few more years. Lets win it again #gospursgo
Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed the news and included details of Diaw’s contract.
Free agent Boris Diaw has reached agreement on three-year, $22M deal to return to Spurs, sources tell Yahoo. Partial guarantee on 3rd year.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 6, 2014
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Diaw’s value to San Antonio goes far beyond his pedestrian per-game numbers of 9.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. He’s arguably the best frontcourt playmaker in the league, shot a career-high 40.2 percent from three-point range last season, and can guard multiple positions. Diaw’s worth to San Antonio in the Finals against the Miami Heat is convincing evidence of his all-encompassing impact.
Still, $22 million over three years could be considered expensive for a 32 year-old role player with lingering weight concerns. But the final season of Diaw’s contract is partially guaranteed, and San Antonio’s books are squeaky clean past this season except for Tiago Splitter’s existing deal and the extension Kawhi Leonard will surely sign between now and then. Though Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili will be free agents after 2013-2014, they’ve shown in the past that they will take discounts to keep the Spurs together.
Finances, basically, don’t matter to the champs right now – they aren’t in the running for big-name free agents and have tons of flexibility going forward.
So rejoice, Spurs fans. Boris is here to stay. We can’t wait to see more dimes like this for the next three seasons.
Is Diaw’s a good deal for San Antonio?
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