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The Utah Jazz traded the draft rights to former Boston College guard Olivier Hanlan on Tuesday, dealing him to the San Antonio Spurs in a move sending Boris Diaw to Salt Lake City.
The trade clears the $7 million salary owed to Diaw so they have enough cap space to sign former Chicago Bulls forward/center Pau Gasol.
Hanlan played last season with Zalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League but is currently unsigned after the expiration of his one year contract. In 24 games, he shot 38.5% from the floor, including 35.9% from beyond the arc. He averaged eight points per game in just over 20 minutes per appearance, earning three starts along the way.
The Spurs, known for their ability to develop players into a system and rotation, have a dearth of point guards behind Tony Parker. They currently have both Patty Mills and Andre Miller on the roster, but of the three, only Mills is under 30 years old. Still, he’s a seven-year veteran of the league and approaching the 30 year age mark, meaning San Antonio will need to rebuild its backcourt in the next few years.
Hanlan fills that need after playing the point for the Eagles. Averaging between 34-38 minutes per game each season with the Eagles, he averaged 4.2 assists per game in his final year. At the same time, he was the third Eagle to join the 1,000 point club after earning First Team All-ACC honors. Leading the ACC in scoring, he averaged 21.9 points per game in conference play.
It’s likely Hanlan will either remain overseas or spend the season in the D-League with the Austin Toros, according to KENS5 in San Antonio.