The Cavaliers stayed put during the 2025 NBA Draft, double-dipping in the second round without drama or much fanfare. One of the players they chose will stay put, too.
With Cleveland’s final pick (and the next-to-last one in the entire draft), the Cavs took wing Saliou Niang at No. 58 overall on June 26. Niang, who hails from Senegal, played for Trento in Italy the past two seasons. The Cavs will stash him in Europe.
Earlier in the second round, the Cavs selected Duke guard Tyrese Proctor at No. 49 overall.
The Cavs didn’t have a first-round pick at their disposal on June 25 because they traded it in September 2022 as part of a package used to acquire six-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz.
Cleveland entered the second round with two choices and refrained from trading either of them to move around the board.
Cavs GM Mike Gansey says Saliou Niang will remain in Italy
Speaking via Zoom, Cavs general manager Mike Gansey said the franchise will keep Niang overseas “for at least a year, if not more.” The Cavs kept Luke Travers in Australia for two years before bringing him to Cleveland, and they have Khalifa Diop in Spain. Cleveland drafted Travers and Diop in the second round in 2022.
“He will stay overseas this upcoming year,” Gansey said of Niang. “The hope is he’ll be able to play Summer League with us. The Italian national team is playing in [FIBA] EuroBasket in August, September, so he could potentially be a part of that as well, which would be great for him. But he will stay in Italy next year and play with Virtus Bologna, a EuroLeague team. So it’ll be a great opportunity for him to play at the highest level over there, and we’ll be tracking him.”
Saliou Niang height, weight
The 21-year-old Niang is 6 feet, 7 inches and 204 pounds.
Saliou Niang stats, highlights
Niang appeared in 29 games, with 10 starts, last season for Trento. He averaged 8.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 20.3 minutes. Niang was named the Most Improved Player in the Lega Basket Serie A and was a 2025 Italian National Cup winner. Gansey noted Niang was recently named Defensive MVP at adidas Eurocamp.
What did Saliou Niang say after Cavs drafted him?
Niang spoke with ESPN’s Monica McNutt moments after the Cavs picked him. On ESPN’s telecast, McNutt asked Niang what he would say to his younger self upon being drafted.
“Thank you for believing in myself,” Niang said. “Do my job, keep working and, yeah, so happy. This a dream come true for me. So, yeah, now I just keep going, keep pushing to try to get to the league.”
Who is favored to win the NBA championship?
Coming off a record of 64-18 in the 2024-25 regular season and a disappointing second-round playoff exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, the Cavs expect to contend next season. The players they drafted this year are developmental prospects who won’t be counted on to contribute for the foreseeable future, barring a surprisingly fast rise by Proctor.
Earlier this week, the Cavs opened as oddsmakers’ favorites to win the Eastern Conference in the 2025-26 season. The defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder are the favorites to win the title, followed by the Cavs.
The Thunder recently captured the league’s crown by beating the Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Cavs suffered a 4-1 series loss to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers pick Saliou Niang at No. 58 of NBA draft 2025. What to know
Reporting by Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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