“We’re Here To Support Him”: Cleveland Cavaliers GM Gets Hyped While Attending Saliou Niang’s EuroBasket Games

Saliou Niang wasn’t turning a lot of heads when he was drafted 58th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in this year’s NBA draft. But now, the Senegalese-Italian guard can be assured that he has the full attention of one particularly important fan.

In a video clip posted Tuesday on X, Greek columnist Christos Tsaltas interviewed Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey, who came out to Cyprus in support of Niang’s EuroBasket campaign. When asked by Tsaltas to assess the skill level that Niang has displayed, Gansey could barely contain his enthusiasm.

“We’re very excited about him,” Gansey said of the 6-foot-6 guard. “He’s played well in his two games here, and he’s gotten a lot better over the last couple of years. We’re happy for his progress, and we’re here to support him.”

Gansey, who took over as GM in 2022 after Koby Altman was named president of basketball operations, went on to clarify that Niang will continue to play overseas during the 2025-26 NBA season.

“He’ll be with Virtus Bologna this year,” the Cavs executive clarified. “We’ll be over there periodically, following him, and hopefully he continues to get better.”

It’s not hard to see why the Cavaliers have a vested interest in Niang. After making a name for himself with local squad Dolomiti Energia Trento, the 21-year-old member of the Italian national team is averaging 9.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in the EuroBasket’s preliminary round.

Thus far in the tournament, he has displayed the attributes that appeared to have drawn Cleveland’s attention: efficient shooting, athleticism on the open court, and reliable passing skills as a secondary playmaker.

Time will tell when Niang finally takes his act to the NBA, and when he does, it’s possible that only one of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland will still be with Cleveland then. Both players have been the subject of trade speculations in the past, though the All-Star duo made headway this season when they helped the Cavs clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Garland, however, was sidelined with a toe injury during the playoffs. Cleveland’s 2025 playoff journey may have ended in the second round, but at the very least, the team’s front office has their eye on the future to build on the strong gains from this past season.

“We just want good basketball players, guys that can play multiple positions and have high IQ, shooting,” Gansey said at the end of his interview.