After a whirlwind of an NBA trade deadline for Ousmane Dieng, the young French forward found himself a Milwaukee Buck after being traded for the third time in 24 hours. Still just 22 years old and in a contract year, the Thunder's former 11th overall pick has been given a fresh start with something yet to prove.
After being dealt from Oklahoma City to Charlotte on Wednesday to facilitate his former team's later acquisition of 76ers' guard Jared McCain, Dieng was soon flipped to Chicago later that day as part of a trade sending Coby White to the Hornets. Then, on deadline day, it was reported that the Bucks acquired Dieng in a three-team deal that sent Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey to the Suns and Nick Richards to the Bulls.
At first glance, it seemed like Milwaukee might also be receiving some kind of second-round pick compensation for their part in facilitating the move, since it helped Phoenix save money to get under the luxury tax threshold and gave the guard-heavy Bulls a much-needed center in Richards.
With no further details coming in since the deadline, though, it's become apparent the Bucks saw value in taking a flyer on a "second draft" development candidate in Dieng, much like when they snagged Ryan Rollins off waivers in 2024 after the Washington Wizards cut him. For a team in dire need of help on the wing, Ousmane Dieng is certainly worth a look before he becomes a restricted free agent this summer.
Thunder saw Dieng's potential from an early age
Drafted as a project with high upside in the 2022 NBA draft, Ousmane Dieng was highly coveted by the architect of the defending champion Thunder's current roster, GM Sam Presti, who sent three first-round picks to the Knicks on draft night to select him 11th overall.
Presti first scouted Dieng when he was 16 years old as a 6-foot-3 shooting guard prospect playing for INSEP, Tony Parker's athletic academy alma mater in Paris, France. During his time in Paris, he underwent a drastic growth spurt. By the time he left to join the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia at age 18, he had shot up to 6-foot-10.
Despite struggling early on with the Breakers during a COVID season in 2021 with no home games, Dieng got hot in the second half of the year as he became more acclimated to the tougher physicality of the NBL. While still filling out his frame, he began showcasing the repertoire of guard skills he'd retained since his growth spurt while flashing the defensive potential of his newfound 7-foot-1 wingspan.
Even with his tantalizing potential, it was clear Dieng still needed time to develop his game at the NBA level. Selected in the same draft class as Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams with a ton of young talent already on the roster, though, he found playing time harder to come by as the Thunder quickly outperformed expectations with 57 wins the following season. During their championship run in 2025, Dieng appeared in just nine playoff games and failed to secure a significant rotational role.
While the Thunder's large hoard of draft picks has provided them with a constant influx of young talent, the natural consequence is regular churn at the end of their bench. It's a good problem to have if you're the Thunder, but it's not exactly the ideal environment for a raw project like Dieng, who's struggled with inconsistency and several minor, nagging injuries that have slowed his development.
Dieng offers unique traits for his size
Despite most sites listing him at 6-foot-9, 185 pounds, those measurements are outdated and likely stem from prospect profiles from before he played in Australia's NBL. A major knock on him pre-draft was his struggles with physicality and finishing through contact due to his wiry frame. He also tended to die on screens when defending on the ball in the pick-and-roll, in part a product of his lack of strength and lanky physique.
Gaining weight has clearly been a point of emphasis in his development plan in Oklahoma City. The Thunder's training camp roster from September listed him at 6-foot-10, 223 pounds, a testament to his efforts to improve his strength against NBA-level competition.
Digging into his prospect tape a bit, he showed good instincts as a weak-side help defender and some flashes at the point of attack. His length allows him to get deflections and blocks when he's in position, and he's had the opportunity to gain plenty of reps working under Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault's defensive tutelage the last few years.
Offensively, he's extremely mobile and fluid for his height. While he still lacks the handle to consistently penetrate NBA defenses, it's adequate enough for him to create a bit for himself on the perimeter. He has a nice package of step-back, side-step, and pull-up jumpers that allow him to create enough separation to get consistently good looks as a jumbo-sized wing.
With the New Zealand Breakers, Ousmane had the ball in his hands a lot more, running offense out of the pick-and-roll and showcasing some intriguing vision and passing chops.
His knack for manipulating defenders with his eyes and creating unconventional passing lanes with his length were both highly sought-after traits for NBA scouts. Many saw him as a 3-and-D-plus wing with potential as a secondary or tertiary playmaker; however, he'll need to work on tightening his dribble to further develop that part of his game in the NBA.
One major weakness that he still needs to improve upon is his shooting. Thus far, he's shot just 42.3 percent from the field and 30.6 percent from behind the arc with the Thunder. This season, he's improved to 36.7 percent from behind the arc, but the sample size is small.
On-ball reps offer a pathway to improvement
When he got opportunities in Oklahoma City, Dieng has been largely miscast as an off-ball big due to the other talent on the roster and his size. The last two seasons, his primary position has been listed as center, and his lack of consistency in shooting the ball off the catch has made it difficult for the Thunder to justify more playing time. In four seasons, he's shot just 33 percent on catch-and-shoot threes.
During his stints with the Oklahoma City Blue in the G-League, however, he's been afforded more reps on the ball, averaging 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in 42 career games while winning G-League Finals MVP in his sophomore campaign.
When he has had the chance to play with the ball in his hands at the NBA level, it's been mostly in garbage time scenarios. While his career pull-up shooting splits leave much to be desired, he has improved his efficiency off the dribble this season, shooting 44 percent from the field and 41 percent from deep.
In a Sports Illustrated article from October, Dieng mentioned that he'd worked a lot more on his shot this past summer compared to previous offseasons: “I was more gaining some weight for me. That's what I did the last three years. I think I really improved in that," Dieng said. "I worked on a lot on my shot this summer. So, yeah, I feel good."
Notably, he's also had a career-best assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.5 this season, which would be a very strong number even for a point guard. Admittedly, it's difficult to take much from his NBA stats this year or otherwise due to his lack of consistent playing time and bad injury luck.
Last season, Ousmane Dieng had one of the best games of his career against the Bucks. In a blowout victory in which he earned first-quarter minutes, Dieng chipped in 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and a steal. Perhaps it was this game that put the former lottery pick back on the Bucks' front office's radar.
While he still has a lot of developing to do, the Bucks are in a much better position to offer Ousmane some on-ball reps than the Thunder this year. In the wake of Giannis Antetokounmpo's latest injury, and the incentive to tank for the chance at an early lottery pick, it would be wise for Milwaukee to see what they have in the fourth-year upside swing before he hits restricted free agency this summer.