Galbiati Confirms Departures of Diakité and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot

After saying goodbye to title hopes yesterday, the departures of several project pillars are confirmed

Buesa Arena said goodbye to its 2025/26 Liga Endesa season last night after falling 1-2 to Asisa Joventut. Ricky Rubio, playing at an MVP level, was the executioner of the Vitoria side, who lost 88-96.

In the final minutes of the game with the match decided, Paolo Galbiati substituted out several players who have been key to the team's great year this season. Mamadí Diakité and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot were two of those names. When they headed to the bench, both players were given a standing ovation by the entire Baskonia fanbase. When asked about these substitutions in the post-game press conference and whether they were to allow fans to say goodbye, the Italian coach said the following: "It was just to thank them for everything."

With these words, the rumors that have been circulating around Vitoria in recent weeks were confirmed. The Guinean center will head to Dubai Basketball to be part of the superproject the Emirati club is building to compete for the EuroLeague in the 2026/27 season. However, his signing will leave more than 400,000 euros in the blue and white coffers to help offset his departure in the coming season.

On the other hand, French small forward Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot will no longer be part of the Basque team after two seasons with Baskonia. Cabarrot has had his best performance this season since arriving in Europe four years ago. The player has been the leading scorer in Liga Endesa, averaging 18.1 points per game with a 39.3% three-point shooting percentage.

The future of the French wing is still to be determined. In recent weeks, with all the rumors surrounding the club's environment, Cabarrot was going to be another one mentioned, since his contract expires after this season and no official renewal has been announced. The latest rumors place the player at ASVEL in France. Other rumors also had him close to joining Barcelona. We'll see what the next team is for the former Baskonia player after signing off his best statistical season.

The departure of both players also means the loss of two fundamental pieces for Paolo Galbiati. Diakité has been one of the team's defensive anchors thanks to his athletic ability, mobility, and versatility to adapt to defensive switches. For his part, Luwawu-Cabarrot has not only been the leading scorer in Liga Endesa, but also one of the offensive leaders of a Baskonia team that found in him a constant reference throughout the entire season.

With the loss still fresh, it's normal to have emotions running high in a season that, despite the Copa del Rey title, closes with a bitter taste. However, work is also beginning in the offices at Zurbano to define the names for Baskonia's next project. Right now there are more questions than answers regarding this near future. Another major uncertainty to resolve is the continuity of Paolo Galbiati, who yesterday in the press conference refused to comment on his future.

What seems certain is that Baskonia 2026/27 will be very different from the team that lifted the Copa del Rey just a few months ago.