Mark Daigneault admits he will be rooting for Ousmane Dieng after getting traded by OKC

Ousmane Dieng's four seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder concluded with a trade to the Charlotte Hornets. That did not end there because Dieng was promptly traded to the Chicago Bulls as well.

It is a sad day for Thunder fans who were attached to Dieng and his potential. However, it seems that the Thunder organization was okay with parting ways with the 6'9" Frenchman.

Daigneault and the Thunder will support Dieng from afar

Dieng's Thunder career never truly worked out, as he never met his potential. Everyone knew he was a promising prospect before the 2022 NBA Draft, but he was quite raw, so the Thunder favored playing more experienced players than him.

Jalen Williams got the nod, and he quickly became the second-best player behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Unfortunately, the Thunder's ascent to championship contender status limited Dieng's developmental time, and he never fully bounced back.

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Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault never got the most out of Dieng. Everyone within the OKC Thunder organization knew there was raw potential in Dieng, but that was never fully tapped into. 

Now that he is headed to Chicago to reunite with Josh Giddey, that might be the move he needs to fully realize his potential. 

"We won a championship last year, and he was a part of that. He added when he could, but he certainly didn’t take anything away even though he might not have had the role that he wanted all the time," Daigneault said about Dieng's time with the Thunder.

"He’s a guy that we’ll be rooting for because of the way he handled himself with us."

Daigneault knows Dieng did not get the opportunity he most likely deserved. Now that he is with the Bulls, that might be the right move for his career moving forward.

More NBA news: 

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on how his improvement as a scorer makes him a better playmaker
• 76ers ship promising young guard to Thunder prior to NBA trade deadline
• Steve Nash admits Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now the best NBA player to come from Canada
• How the Thunder can acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo and build a superteam
• Mark Daigneault praises Ajay Mitchell for his constant production for the defending champs