Mamadi Diakité has become a Cavalier again.
The former UVA men’s basketball star gets his next NBA opportunity with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who signed Diakite to a training camp contract on Tuesday, as HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported.
This will be the third NBA stopover for Diakite, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks as an undrafted free agent in 2020 after a five-year decorated UVA career that saw him lead the Cavaliers to the national title. 2019. Diakite spent the majority of his rookie season on a two-way deal with the Bucks, but was a full roster member when Milwaukee won the 2021 NBA Finals.
Diakite also appeared in 12 G League games for the Lakeland Magic during the 2020-21 season, averaging 18.5 points per game, 10.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game to lead the Magic. to the G League Championship. Diakite was named to the All-NBA G League First Team and the NBA G League All-Defensive Team.
The Bucks waived Diakite last September and he was claimed by the Oklahoma City Thunder two days later, reuniting him with former UVA teammate Ty Jerome. Unfortunately, Diakite then suffered a broken hip which forced him to miss almost three months of the season. Diakite ended up signing three separate 10-day contracts with the Thunder throughout the 2021-22 season, appearing in 13 total games, including three starts.
In the first two seasons of his NBA career, Diakite appeared in 27 total games, averaging 12.2 minutes, 3.7 points, and 3.4 rebounds per game.
This latest opportunity with the Cavaliers could give Diakite a solid shot at making the NBA roster, as Cleveland only has 12 players on its roster who have fully guaranteed contracts. However, as Hoops Rumors reported on Tuesday, it appears Diakite’s contract is an unsecured 9-piece deal, meaning that if Diakite isn’t on Cleveland’s roster after training camp, he is unlikely to be placed on the franchise’s G list. Affiliated with the league, the Cleveland Charge.
So Diakite could potentially earn a spot on Cleveland’s roster during training camp, or he’ll find himself a free agent again and have to wait for his next NBA opportunity.
Scroll to continue
Stay up to date on all of Virginia’s former athletes playing pro here: Pro Hoos at Sports Illustrated
See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated
Follow CavaliersNow on Twitter
Follow CavaliersNow on Facebook
Latest Virginia Cavaliers news and stories
UVA Football: Antonio Clary and Billy Kemp injury report
Virginia is in the top five for former Ohio State Clerk George Washington III
Five-star forward Kyle Colsey commits to Virginia Lacrosse
UVA men’s golf ranked No. 1 for first time in program history
Four-star Davin Cosby sets decision date, Virginia in Final Four
Virginia Football now 10-Point Underdogs at Syracuse
Comments are closed.