Second-round Cavaliers draft pick Saliou Niang has joined the Italian EuroLeague squad Virtus Bologna, the team announced today (via Twitter). The move had been previously expected and is now official.
The 6’5″ Senegalese swingman has been playing professionally in Italy since 2021/22. Niang, 21, initially suited up for Fortitudo Bologna and had been plying his trade with Trento since 2023/24.
Niang will now get the opportunity to develop his game in the EuroLeague for at least one season before he links up with Cleveland. The Cavaliers went 64-18 last season and are angling for deeper postseason success this year, and Niang would have faced an uphill battle to crack the club’s rotation anyway.
Across 30 Italian League games for Trento in 2024/25, Niang averaged 8.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.4 APG and 0.6 SPG. He posted shooting splits of .532/.333/.712.
Virtus Bologna is something of a powerhouse in the Italian League, having won it outright three times in the past four seasons. The club also won the Italian Cup as recently as 2022/23.