And Lorbek, if he wanted to come to the NBA, must really hate Diaw right now. Lorbek went from being a desirable big with a bargaining chip (in case he wanted to stay in Europe, he could have tried to inflate his value like many others did before) to an unproven NBA big trying to edge out a vet who seems to be a perfect fit in the Spurs system.
Furthermore let's remember that Diaw previous contract, signed while he was obviously younger and after a nice contract year, was $9m per, and everybody thought he was badly overpaid (given his play in subsequent years). I fail to see how an older version of Diaw, with his history, and despite his rejuvenation, can command more than the MLE for any team.
Actually, I'm not even sure he's worth the full MLE right now, but if the Spurs have nothing else to spend it on, he might get the full MLE indeed. That seems fair for both parties.