Ousmane Dieng Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: 2025 Draft Grades, 2026 Class, France, Gabriel

June 28th, 2025 at 10:04am CST by Earnest Marshall

Five teams earned ‘A’ grades on Sam Vecenie’s post-draft report card for The Athletic, including four teams who had picks in the top six. The fifth team to earn an A was the Hawks, primarily for landing an unprotected 2026 first-round pick from the Pelicans to drop 10 spots in the middle of the first round.

Another 18 teams earned ‘B-‘ to ‘B+’ grades, meaning they mostly met or exceeded the value expected at their respective draft slots. Multiple clubs who only had second-round picks, like the Cavaliers and Warriors, found themselves in this tier. A few teams who ended up landing players who slid from pre-draft projections also ended up in this group, with the Jazz getting Ace Bailey at No. 5, the Heat landing Kasparas Jakucionis at No. 20 and the Thunder getting Thomas Sorber at No. 15.

That left five teams to earn a mark of ‘C’ or lower from Vecenie (Houston and Denver did not make any selections). The Pelicans were marked down for the haul they gave up to move up from No. 23 to No. 13 and select Derik Queen. The Nets were questioned for making three selections – Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf – with positional overlap, while the Knicks earned a middling grade for selecting a stash player who may not make it to the league.

We have more from around the basketball world:

The 2026 draft looks to be loaded on paper, with a strong blend of returners who would have been drafted this year and high-level incoming talent. In ESPN’s first full 2026 mock draft, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have Darryn Peterson of Kansas as the No. 1 overall pick. A.J. Dybantsa (BYU), Cameron Boozer (Duke), Nate Ament (Tennessee) and Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville) round out their top five. Among returning college players, Jayden Quaintance (No. 6, Kentucky) and Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 14, Michigan) are the highest-ranking.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report‘s top three looks identical to ESPN’s, but he has Arizona’s Koa Peat at No. 4 in his first 2026 mock draft. Another significant difference between the two boards is Baylor wing Tounde Yessoufou‘s spot — Wasserman has him at No. 6, but ESPN places him at No. 23.
France has named its 18-man preliminary roster for EuroBasket 2025, per the team (Twitter link). Bilal Coulibaly, Moussa Diabate, Ousmane Dieng, Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr and Guerschon Yabusele are the current NBA players on the roster. Former NBAers on the team include Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Frank Ntilikina and Theo Maledon, among others.
Former NBA player Wenyen Gabriel is leaving Panathinaikos to sign with Bayern Munich in Germany, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Gabriel played his first EuroLeague season in 2024/25, averaging 6.0 points per game, and will remain in the league by signing with Bayern. The 6’9″ big man played 150 NBA games from 2019-24 across stints with the Lakers, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, Kings and others. He averaged 4.4 PPG and 3.4 RPG for his career.

Scotto’s Latest: Thunder, Pacers, Kings, Barrett, Rockets, Wolves, KD

June 23rd, 2025 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Their seasons ended less than 24 hours ago, but the Thunder and Pacers will have significant roster decisions to make in the coming days, and executives around the NBA are keeping an eye on both teams to see how they’ll handle them, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

The Thunder have the ability to essentially run it back with their same roster, since 13 of their players are on guaranteed deals for next season, while the team holds cost-effective options on the other two. However, Oklahoma City also has multiple first-round picks at No. 15 and No. 24 and could be facing a roster crunch.

According to Scotto, rival executives believe the Thunder may either trade the No. 24 pick for a future first-rounder or use it to select a potential draft-and-stash prospect like Hugo Gonzalez or Noah Penda. Execs also view former lottery pick Ousmane Dieng as a possible trade candidate as he enters the final year of his rookie scale contract, Scotto notes.

Meanwhile, with Tyrese Haliburton potentially sidelined for all of the 2025/26 season after tearing his Achilles, people in league circles are wondering if the Pacers and team owner Herb Simon are still prepared to go into luxury-tax territory in 2025/26 to re-sign Myles Turner and keep their roster intact, says Scotto. There’s an expectation that rivals will inquire this summer on the trade availability of role players like Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and Jarace Walker, Scotto adds.

Here’s more from Scotto:

Although a Sacramento Bee report over the weekend indicated that the Kings haven’t yet engaged in trade discussions about Malik Monk, Scotto hears from sources that the team has gauged the market on both Monk and Devin Carter as it seeks a potential first-round pick and a point guard upgrade. Sacramento was unwilling to move Carter when the club talked to the Nets about Cameron Johnson prior to the trade deadline, Scotto writes, but Scott Perry has replaced Monte McNair as the Kings’ head of basketball operations since then and may not be as attached to last year’s No. 13 overall pick.
According to Scotto, the Raptors have continued to gauge the trade market for forward RJ Barrett. The former No. 3 overall pick hasn’t come off the bench since his rookie year in 2019/20, but could be the odd man out of Toronto’s starting five with Brandon Ingram set to make his Raptors debut this fall.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, who spent a season with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, was in favor of the Celtics trading for Durant during his time in Boston and advocated for Houston to acquire the star forward this summer, per Scotto. In addition to reuniting with Udoka, Durant will be teaming up again with friend and fellow Texas alum Royal Ivey — the Rockets assistant interviewed for the Suns‘ head coaching vacancy and turned down interest from the Grizzlies and Spurs for assistant coaching positions, Scotto reports.
In addition to being concerned about Durant’s lack of enthusiasm for Minnesota, the Timberwolves didn’t want to lose Rudy Gobert, a Suns target in trade talks, which is why the Wolves didn’t end up beating Houston’s offer for the 15-time All-Star, Scotto explains. Giving up Gobert and potentially having Durant play alongside Julius Randle in their frontcourt wasn’t considered an “ideal pairing defensively” for the Wolves, Scotto writes.

Thunder Notes: NBA Cup Loss, Daigneault, Dieng, Williams

December 19th, 2024 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder, who claimed the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference last season and hold that spot again through their first 25 games this season, are still considered the strong betting favorites to represent the West in the NBA Finals.

However, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes, the Thunder’s small market and “low-key nature” mean they’re often not treated like a powerhouse — they’re not one of the 10 teams playing on Christmas Day next Wednesday, for instance. Thunder head of basketball operations Sam Presti has said the club has to “earn our arrival” and the players have conveyed that same sentiment.

“We’re a young team and a lot of times in the league you have to earn your stripes, you really don’t get given anything,” guard Alex Caruso. “For us, it isn’t about how loud you are. It’s about getting the job done.”

Here’s more on the 20-5 Thunder:

Oklahoma City had a chance to showcase its talent on a national stage in Tuesday’s NBA Cup championship, but laid an egg, shooting just 33.7% from the field and 15.6% on three-pointers en route to just 81 points in a blowout loss to Milwaukee. All three marks were season lows, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. While forward Jalen Williams said after the game that he thought the Thunder got plenty of good looks, head coach Mark Daigneault wasn’t willing to simply chalk up the club’s underwhelming performance to bad luck. “I never look at it as like, we just missed shots,” Daigneault said, per MacMahon. “I could have done a better job shaking us free at different times in that game, but we can learn from it.”
Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman suggests that Tuesday’s dud in front of a national audience should serve as motivation for the Thunder as they look to secure their hold on the No. 1 spot in the West.
Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng, who fractured a finger on his right hand while playing in the G League in November, no longer shows up on the team’s injury report and should be available on Thursday in Orlando, tweets Rylan Stiles of SI.com. The former No. 11 overall pick has played limited minutes in 16 appearances off the bench for Oklahoma City this season.
Jalen Williams, whose 21.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game this season are all career highs, continues to establish himself as a legitimate No. 2 option on a title-contending team, lining himself up for a massive payday when he becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension in July 2025, writes Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic. “It would be stupid for me to give him a ceiling,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of his rising star teammate. “I think he can go as far as he wants to, as far as he takes it.”

Thunder’s Ousmane Dieng Diagnosed With Fractured Finger

November 24th, 2024 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder have suffered another frontcourt injury. Forward Ousmane Dieng sustained a small fracture in his right ring finger while playing for the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue on Friday. He will be reevaluated in three to four weeks, according to the team.

Dieng has appeared in 16 Thunder games this season, including an 11-minute stint against Portland on Wednesday. He was assigned to the Blue on Friday after Isaiah Hartenstein and Kenrich Williams returned from injuries. Dieng was averaging 3.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per contest for OKC.

Dieng appeared in 33 games off the bench for the Thunder last season and 39 in his rookie campaign the previous season. The 2022 lottery pick had his $6.67MM option for the 2025/26 season picked up by the club last month.

OKC’s frontcourt has been in a state of flux all season. Dieng joins two frontcourt rotation players currently on the sidelines. Chet Holmgren is out indefinitely due to a hip injury and Jaylin Williams is recovering from a hamstring injury.

Thunder Pick Up 2025/26 Options On Four Players

October 23rd, 2024 at 2:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have exercised their 2025/26 rookie scale team options on four second- and third-year players, the team announced today in a press release.

All four players were already on guaranteed contracts for 2024/25 and have now had their salaries locked in for the following season too. Those players – and their ’25/26 salaries – are as follows:

Chet Holmgren, C (fourth year, $13,731,368)
Ousmane Dieng, F (fourth year, $6,670,882)
Jalen Williams, F (fourth year, $6,580,997)
Cason Wallace, G (third year, $5,820,240)

Holmgren and Williams were full-time starters in the frontcourt last season for a Thunder team that won 57 games, claimed the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and won a playoff series.

The runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting, Holmgren played all 82 regular season games and averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks in just 29.4 minutes per contest. The 22-year-old also posted a strong shooting line of .530/.370/.793.

Williams, 23, took a significant step forward across the board after finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2023. The former No. 12 overall pick registered averages of 19.1 PPG, 4.5 APG, and 4.0 RPG on .540/.427/.814 shooting in 71 games (31.3 MPG) in his second NBA season.

Wallace, 20, immediately emerged as a rotation player for Oklahoma City as a rookie, earning regular minutes with his strong perimeter defense. Like Holmgren, he appeared in all 82 games during the regular season, averaging 6.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.5 APG with a .491/.419/.784 shooting line in 20.6 MPG.

Dieng, 21, is the only one of these four players whose option decision wasn’t a mortal lock. The 6’10” forward, who was drafted 11th overall in 2022, has yet to emerge as a regular contributor in OKC, having appeared in just 33 games off the bench last season. However, the Thunder remain encouraged by Dieng’s play in the G League, where he averaged 17.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 5.4 APG in 33 Showcase Cup and regular season outings in 2023/24.

Holmgren, Dieng, and Williams will now be eligible for rookie scale extensions in the 2025 offseason, and it’s safe to assume the Thunder will make an effort to lock up at least Holmgren and Williams at that time. The team’s decision on Wallace’s fourth-year option for 2026/27 will be due next fall.

Next Thursday (October 31) is the deadline for teams to exercise rookie scale options for 2025/26. We’re tracking those decisions right here.

Northwest Notes: Holmgren, Giddey, Caruso, Dieng, Malone, Kessler

August 24th, 2024 at 9:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Appearing on Podcast P With Paul George (video link), Thunder big man Chet Holmgren admitted being “hurt” when he heard about the June trade that sent Josh Giddey to the Bulls in exchange for Alex Caruso. Holmgren and Giddey were high lottery picks by Oklahoma City in back-to-back years, and they were expecting to be part of the team’s long-term foundation.

“I was (expletive) hurt when I saw that Giddey wouldn’t be on our team anymore,” Holmgren said. “We all rock with him. That’s our dog, still is. He’s gonna go do great things in Chicago, so we’re excited for him and we’re also excited to have AC on our team now, too. Like you said, great defender, he makes shots, he always makes winning plays, makes the right plays. That’s the type of dude you want to play with.”

Caruso, considered one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, joins a Thunder team that’s already proficient on that end of the court. Giddey may thrive once he’s given a chance to run the Bulls’ offense, but he struggled in the playoffs last season and was pulled from the starting lineup in the second-round series against Dallas due to concerns about his defense and outside shooting.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

After two developmental years, Ousmane Dieng is hoping to earn a spot in the Thunder‘s rotation in 2024/25, writes Nick Crain of Forbes. The organization viewed Dieng as a project when it traded for him during the 2022 draft. He has appeared in just 72 NBA games since then, but has shown improvement in the G League and is fresh off winning MVP honors in the title game. Crain notes that because Dieng has perimeter skills to go with his 6’10” frame, he’s versatile enough to contribute to the Thunder at a variety of positions.
Coach Michael Malone and the Nuggets‘ front office haven’t been on the same page in recent years when it comes to roster moves, sources tell David Thorpe of TrueHoop. Thorpe has been hearing for two seasons about a “disconnect” as the organization has lost Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from its 2023 championship roster. Malone has been left with a collection of young players to try to fill their roles.
Walker Kessler doesn’t seem to be part of the long-term future for the Jazz, opines Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Sources confirm to Pincus that Utah has explored trades involving Kessler, including discussions with the Knicks in July. If the 23-year-old center remains on the roster, the Jazz will have to decide this fall whether to pick up his $4.9MM option for the 2025/26 season. Pincus’ comments are included in a proposed three-team trade involving the Pelicans and Nets that would send Brandon Ingram to Utah.

Northwest Notes: Trail Blazers, Mitchell, Topic, Nuggets

July 24th, 2024 at 9:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Trail Blazers’ rebuilding process is happening at a fortunate time in light of the NBA’s new restrictive apron provisions, writes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. With so many young players on the roster, Portland doesn’t face the immediate decisions that other teams have to deal with, but it’s only a matter of time until its recent draft picks become eligible for extensions.

Highkin doesn’t believe the Blazers would have gotten nearly the same return for Damian Lillard if they had waited another year to trade him. Teams are placing a greater value on draft picks and are becoming less willing to gamble on older players with multiple years remaining on expensive contracts. Highkin points to Dejounte Murray, whom Atlanta traded for far less than it gave up to acquire him two years ago, along with Trae Young, Brandon Ingram and Zach LaVine, who may all have been dealt by now if the old rules were still in effect.

Highkin also notes that max extensions for rookie scale contracts don’t seem as automatic as they used to be. He states that Orlando’s Paolo Banchero and Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams appear to be the only “locks” to get those extensions next summer, when Portland will have to decide whether Shaedon Sharpe is worthy of a long-term commitment in excess of $200MM.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Ajay Mitchell‘s Summer League performance showed why the Thunder were willing to trade up to the 38th pick to acquire him, observes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. The Santa Barbara guard, who recently signed a two-way contract, showed an ability to change speeds and finish around the basket, posting an 11-point, 10-assist double-double early in Las Vegas. First-round pick Dillon Jones displayed “flashes and flaws” in his first Summer League experience, while 2022 lottery pick Ousmane Dieng was held out of the games in Vegas after playing in Salt Lake City.
Nikola Topic could turn out to be a steal for the Thunder at No. 12 when he returns next season from his partially torn ACL, Rylan Stiles states in a Sports Illustrated piece. Oklahoma City was willing to wait a year for Topic to get healthy, and he could develop into a lead guard for the second unit.
The Nuggets will open their preseason schedule with a pair of games against the Celtics Oct. 4 and 6 in Abu Dhabi, tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. Denver will host the Suns Oct. 13 and the Thunder Oct. 15 before traveling to face the Timberwolves Oct 18.

And-Ones: France, Japan, FAs, Klutch, West, Wright

June 27th, 2024 at 3:10pm CST by Rory Maher

Ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, host nation France has announced that two players from its preliminary 19-man roster have been cut (Twitter link): former NBA guard Killian Hayes, who is currently an unrestricted free agent, and Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng.

Neither Hayes nor Dieng have ever suited up for the senior national team, according to Eurohoops, but they did represent their home country at the youth level. The French national team will need to trim its roster down to 12 players from the current 17 before the Olympics begin at the end of July.

Japan recently announced its own 16-man preliminary roster ahead of the Olympics, per Eurohoops. Lakers forward Rui Hachimura headlines the group, which also features Yuta Watanabe. France, Japan, Germany and the winner of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Latvia will comprise Group C of the 12-team tournament.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

John Hollinger of The Athletic ranks the top free agent small forwards and power forwards, respectively. Hollinger’s BORD$ formula rates LeBron James as the top overall free agent regardless of position, with Paul George the top small forward. Free agents can begin negotiating with other teams on June 30.
Klutch Sports Group and Rich Paul have been sued in federal court by longtime NBA agent Mark Termini, writes Mark Vorkunov of The Athletic. Termini, a former associate of Klutch, is suing for $4.9MM plus interest for an alleged breach of contract. Termini claims Klutch began paying him less than he was owed as the “lead negotiator” on several contracts from 2018-20. “This lawsuit is inaccurate and misguided,” a Klutch spokesperson said. “And will be addressed in the proper forum.”
Virginia prosecutors have dropped a pair of criminal charges — felony drug possession and violation of pretrial conditions — against former NBA guard Delonte West, reports Baxter Holmes of ESPN. The 40-year-old is still facing two other charges (resisting arrest and obstruction of justice) stemming from his arrest earlier this month, according to Holmes, who adds that West is due in court on July 11.
The Knicks will soon have four former Villanova Wildcats on their roster, but former Nova coach Jay Wright has no intention of becoming a coach with New York or any other NBA team, he told Zach Braziller of The New York Post.

Northwest Notes: Dieng, Thunder, Wolves, MPJ

June 2nd, 2024 at 7:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ousmane Dieng could be the missing piece to the Thunder‘s rotation, according to Rylan Stiles of SI.com. Dieng, a 2022 lottery pick, has spent the bulk of his first two NBA seasons in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue. He appeared in just 33 games with the Thunder this season.

“Like every young player, he has so many things to work on,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. “When we drafted him, he was almost like a year young for that draft. We kind of knew that his timeline and his pathway would maybe be different, certainly from [Jalen Williams] because Dub was somebody coming in that we thought could get on the court sooner. But [Dieng] has responded pretty well. I’m pleased with him. I think he’s made some big strides here.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Thunder own the No. 12 pick of the draft via Houston and optimally, they’ll find a way to trade back in what’s considered a weak class, Stiles opines in a separate story. They might be able to add to their stash of future assets and still find a contributor.
The Timberwolves’ starting lineup could make a combined $167MM next season, which would push team salary near the luxury tax line for those five players alone. The Wolves must decide whether they can trim salary without sacrificing team quality, but since they’re a serious contender, going well over the tax line for at least a couple of seasons might be worth the cost. Danny Leroux of The Athletic explores what they could do to reduce future obligations, including a potential trade of either Karl-Anthony Towns or Naz Reid.
Should the Nuggets consider trading Michael Porter Jr.? The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando explores that topic, noting that all four teams in this year’s conference finals got there with the aid of recent blockbuster deals.

Olympic Notes: France, Australia, Germany, Brazil

May 17th, 2024 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the host nation has announced its preliminary 19-man roster (Twitter link). As Eurohoops relays, the headliners on France’s squad are big men Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert, the top two finishers in this year’s Defensive Player of the Year vote.

However, there are several more notable NBA names on the list, including Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier, Bilal Coulibaly, and Ousmane Dieng. Other recent NBAers who didn’t finish the 2023/24 season on a roster include Killian Hayes, Frank Ntilikina, and Theo Maledon.

One player not on France’s roster is veteran guard Mike James. The 2023/24 EuroLeague MVP is an American, but according to a report from L’Equipe (hat tip to BasketNews.com), the French Basketball Federation explored the possibility of getting a French passport for James, who has played for AS Monaco in France’s LNB Pro A since 2021. That effort didn’t make any real headway, however.

“We do not have the culture of other nations which use naturalized players in a systematic way,” an unnamed executive told L’Equipe. “But we have a duty to explore all possibilities. In this case, we were asked, we looked at it and quickly established that it was not a question.”

The French national team will have to make seven cuts and set a 12-man roster for this July’s event.

Here are a few more updates related to the 2024 Olympics:

The Australian national team has trimmed its preliminary Olympic roster from 22 players to 17, the Boomers announced in a press release. None of the NBA players on the roster – including Josh Giddey, Joe Ingles, Patty Mills, Dante Exum, Matisse Thybulle, and Dyson Daniels, among others – were among the cuts, but potential 2024 first-round pick Johnny Furphy was. The plan is for those 17 Australian players to attend training camp this summer before setting the final 12-man roster.
The German national team announced this week that head coach Gordon Herbert won’t continue on in that role after the conclusion of the Paris Olympics (hat tip to Sportando). The two sides are going their separate ways after a fruitful partnership that included a gold medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The Brazilian national team has announced its preliminary roster for this summer’s Olympic qualifying tournament in Latvia. The notable names include veteran point guard Raul Neto, former first-round pick Bruno Caboclo, Warriors rookie Gui Santos, and former NBA guard Didi Louzada. The Brazilians will need to win the six-team qualifier to earn a spot in the Olympic men’s basketball tournament.