Ousmane Dieng just exploded for 36 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Milwaukee Bucks — the kind of performance the Chicago Bulls could use from a young wing right about now. And one they could have gotten, had they not acquired Dieng at the trade deadline and promptly flipped him to Milwaukee.
In a deadline full of errors, watching a toolsy 22-year-old show this level of promise is one of Arturas Karnisovas's more painful decisions.
Bulls blew a huge opportunity by not keeping Ousmane Dieng
The Bulls landed Dieng as part of the trade that sent Coby White to the Charlotte Hornets. They immediately shipped him to the Bucks for center Nick Richards, who's done nothing to cement himself in the franchise's long-term plans.
A pretty wild aside: Dieng was traded three times in 24 hours at the deadline — from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Hornets, from the Hornets to Chicago, and then from Chicago to Milwaukee.
Selected by the Thunder with the 11th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Dieng appeared in only 136 games across four seasons in OKC before catching on with the Bucks.
In 24 games with Milwaukee (14 starts), the Frenchman is playing 25.5 minutes per contest with averages of 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 37.1 percent from 3-point range.
His aforementioned stat-sheet-stuffing performance is indicative of his potential as a prospect. Dieng has a point-forward skill set at 6-foot-9 and carries a 7-foot wingspan. He's versatile enough to play multiple positions on one end and defend multiple positions on the other.
In his third Bucks appearance, he scored 19 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out six assists and blocked four shots while going 7-for-12 from the field and canning three triples against his former team. (The Oklahoma City one. Not Charlotte or Chicago.)
Chicago can't sacrifice long-term upside for short-term stability
If you squint hard enough, you can see the reasoning behind Karnisovas's decision to flip Dieng for Richards. The Bulls had no true centers on the roster with Zach Collins injured and Nikola Vucevic dealt to Boston. It's hard to survive in the NBA without size.
But surviving isn't what the franchise needs to be doing. It needs to stockpile assets and think five steps ahead.
This front office has proven time and again that it can't do that — there are plenty more examples of futility outside of the Dieng blunder.
Though he hasn't popped like Dieng, Leonard Miller has been a nice surprise. Rob Dillingham has had a few flashes. Maybe one of the eight second-round picks Karnisovas acquired will turn into an all-star.
But the kind of upside swings the Bulls need to take have been few and far between. Too many times, they're caught looking.
Holding onto Dieng should've been an easy call. To continue with the bad baseball metaphors, one we don't need ABS to confirm.