Cavs draft pick Saliou Niang’s LSU situation bears watching

Saliou Niang chose LSU over joining the Cavaliers this season. Now the question is whether he’ll actually be allowed to play there.

Niang, Cleveland’s No. 58 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, remains in limbo as LSU awaits eligibility clearance for much of its roster.

As Grant Afseth of Roundtable noted, the SEC adopted a policy this week that considers players ineligible if they previously declared for the NBA, NFL or WNBA draft and failed to withdraw.

Well, Niang didn’t withdraw. The Cavs drafted him.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Niang won’t end up at LSU. The school is relying on the courts to clear several players, and Niang’s intention remains to spend the season there developing his game.

Interestingly, though, the NBA was already an option.

“Choosing college comes from my desire to keep improving and become a more complete player,” Niang told Matteo De Santis of La Stampa. “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.”

That’s where things become at least mildly interesting from the Cavs’ perspective.

Cleveland has limited spending power after its recent roster maneuvering and is expected to use its 14th roster spot on a player whose draft rights it controls.

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report has reported that Khalifa Diop is the name he’s heard connected to that spot. So Diop would appear to be the more likely option at the moment.

But Zach Weiss of NBA on SI raised another possibility: If Niang can’t get cleared at LSU, could Cleveland’s 2025 second-rounder suddenly come back into the picture? Financially, he could fit.

Niang, 22, spent last season with Virtus Bologna and averaged 7.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in EuroLeague play. He’s currently playing for Italy in World Cup qualifying.

The preferred plan is clearly LSU now and Cleveland later. Whether the first part of that plan is actually possible remains to be seen.