Cavaliers draft pick Saliou Niang said he had the opportunity to join Cleveland this summer but chose LSU to continue developing before making the jump to the NBA.
Saliou Niang had the opportunity to join the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer but chose to attend college instead, as he said in an interview with Matteo De Santis of La Stampa.
Cleveland drafted Niang using the 58th pick in 2025 and retains his rights. He committed to LSU in May and plans to play there in 2026-27 under coach Will Wade, pending NCAA eligibility to continue the development process before making the jump to the NBA.
"Choosing college comes from my desire to keep improving and become a more complete player," Niang said. "My relationship with Cleveland is close. I could have gone there this summer, but we are working on a path that will prepare me for the big leap."
The SEC released a policy on Aug. 25 that rules ineligible any athlete who "previously declared for the NFL, NBA, or WNBA Draft, and did not appropriately withdraw." Cameron Salerno and Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported Thursday that Niang could technically fall into that group because Cleveland drafted him in 2025. LSU had four players on its publicly disclosed roster and is relying on the courts to clear the rest, according to the same report.
Cleveland has one roster spot left to fill. Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report reported that the Cavaliers plan to use their 14th spot on a draft-rights rookie, and that Khalifa Diop is the name he has heard. Cleveland became hard-capped at the first apron after the Peyton Watson sign-and-trade. Its deadline to waive Cam Whitmore and spread his $5,458,310 salary over three seasons is Saturday.
Niang spent last season with Virtus Bologna. In 38 EuroLeague games, with 13 starts, he averaged 7.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 21.6 minutes, shooting 62.9%. In 36 Lega Basket Serie A games, he averaged 9.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 60.4% shooting.
On Jan. 1, he had 17 points and 17 rebounds in an away win against Dubai. He was named EuroLeague Round 22 MVP and the Italian league's Best Player Under 22.
Before joining Virtus, Niang played two seasons with Aquila Basket Trento. During that stint, he won the 2025 Italian Cup and earned Lega A Most Improved Player. He entered into a contract with Virtus in July 2025.
Last summer, Cleveland brought Niang to Las Vegas. He played three games for the Cavaliers, averaging 7.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.
Italy started the second round of European qualifiers on Friday with a close 78-76 loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tuzla. Niang scored 8 points. Turkey now leads Group J with a 7-0 record, while Italy drops to third place, behind Serbia. Only the top three teams in the group will qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.
"I am here to qualify for the World Cup and play in it with Italy," Niang explained.
At EuroBasket 2025, Niang recorded an average of 10.2 points and 4.6 rebounds over five games. Italy ranked 11th.
Italy faces Serbia on Monday at the Vitrifrigo Arena in Pesaro. Cleveland will begin training camp in September.
