Mamadi Diakite's time with the Wine and Gold may not be over after all.
The Cleveland Cavaliers announced they signed Diakite to a two-way contract on Monday evening. The news was originally reported by Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor, that Diakite had cleared waivers paving way for the Cavs to bring him back on a two-way contract
The Cavaliers signed Diakite to a training camp contract and was one of four invites in camp this fall. The third-year forward went undrafted in 2020 after a four-year collegiate career at the University of Virginia.
In four preseason games, Diakite averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.25 steals and 1.25 blocks in 16.8 minutes. His play turned heads in the Cavs third preseason game with the Atlanta Hawks when he posted 13 points and 11 boards to go along with a pair of steals and a block,
The Cavs have been big fans of his rebounding ability and he showed some offensive capability in the matchup against the Hawks. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff loves the energy he brings to the lineup and Diakite could fill a role as a high-energy big man who has the ability to defend multiple positions.
Bickerstaff indicated that, while not on display to the public, behind closed doors on the practice floor his work ethic and level of play have been consistent all throughout camp.
“That first Philadelphia game where we put him in, we loved his energy. We loved how hard he’s competed. And that’s who he’s been all throughout practice in training camp,” Bickerstaff said.
A two-way deal would allow Diakite the opportunity to continue to refine his skills and potentially be available in the event Kevin Love, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley is unavailable for a brief time.
While Diakite obviously isn't the caliber of player of those aforementioned Cavaliers, he's an asset to have in a pinch and Bickerstaff said as much during the preseason as the Wine and Gold battled some injuries.
"He was impressive on both sides of the floor. He’s got that range we were talking about. That 6’9”-6’10” rangy, Swiss Army Knife kind of guy that can guard multiple positions," Bickerstaff said. "He makes shots that spreads the floor even more and that shows all the other things that he can do."
Perhaps most importantly in this role, Diakite fits in perfectly with the culture that the Cavs have established during Bickerstaff's tenure in Cleveland.
"He’s a great dude to be around every day. Even when he wasn’t getting minutes, his attitude never changed," Bickerstaff said. "He’s the type of guy who you want to reward."
Diakite signed a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks prior to the 2020-21 season and later signed an multi-year deal with the team. In his rookie season, Diakite was part of the Bucks NBA Championship team, appearing in 14 regular season games and seven playoff games.
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