The Cavaliers have added another big body to the mix, locking up Khalifa Diop on a four-year, $9.26 million deal, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Diop, now 24, was Cleveland’s 39th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, but he’s spent the last three seasons overseas with Saski Baskonia in Spain’s Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. His most recent season was a productive one by the numbers: 47 total games, 38 starts, 3.8 points on .670 shooting, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 16.4 minutes per game.
He also played a role in Baskonia’s trophy haul, helping the club win the 2026 Copa del Rey title, its first in 17 years, after contributing to the 2023 EuroCup championship. Before that, the Senegalese native had already built some international and developmental pedigree, representing his country at the 2019 and 2021 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cups and earning 2021-22 EuroCup Rising Star honors with Gran Canaria. Diop was also part of Cleveland’s 2023 NBA Summer League championship team, and he’ll wear No. 18 for the Cavaliers.
The signing comes as Cleveland continues to build around a core of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The team is set to open next season with those five in the starting lineup and newcomer Mario Hezonja coming off the bench.
Watson was one of the notable additions this summer, giving Cleveland the small forward help it needed after LeBron went to the Philadelphia 76ers and Dean Wade left Cleveland for Philadelphia. Last season with the Nuggets, Watson put up 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 49.1% from the field, 41.1% from three and 73.0% at the line. He signed a four-year, $88 million deal that includes a player option and a trade kicker.
Cleveland’s group already showed real bite last season, knocking off the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 without LeBron James on the roster. The run ended there, though, as the New York Knicks - the 2026 champions after beating the San Antonio Spurs - swept the Cavaliers in the conference finals.
Mitchell remains the centerpiece of the whole thing. Cleveland’s biggest move of the summer was giving him a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension, and since arriving from the Utah Jazz in 2022, he’s averaged 26.7 points per game in the regular season and 27.3 points per game in the playoffs for the Cavaliers.
Cleveland opens next season in Philadelphia against LeBron and the 76ers, a matchup that should bring plenty of energy right out of the gate. Whether Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Mobley and Allen can turn that talent into a championship will be the question hanging over the season.
In Other News...
Cavs Fans Just Got A New Reason To Revisit The Garland Trade
The NBAs punishment of the Clippers for salary cap violations tied to Kawhi Leonard has given the league a jolt, but it also has a ripple effect for Cleveland fans still watching former Cavaliers move through the trade market. Los Angeles was stripped of five first-round picks through the 2034 season, a hit that immediately changes the way the team can think about its future and makes every remaining move feel a little more consequential.
Darius Garland, who was recently acquired by the Clippers, now lands in a far different kind of spotlight as that franchise stares at a rebuilding phase. For Cavaliers fans, it is another reminder that trades do not always end when the transaction is announced, and that Garland could become one of the more interesting assets to track as the Clippers figure out what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cavs First Rounder Suddenly Has A New Spotlight
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Cavs Fans Just Learned The Catch In Next Seasons TV Plan
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There is a catch, though, and it matters. Of the 82 regular-season games, 17 nationally televised matchups will not be on DAZN, while 15 games will be available free through an over-the-air partner, leaving at least 50 games exclusive to the platform. DAZN says it will offer several subscription plans at different prices and will also carry select regional sports programming for free, so the next question for Cavs fans is what that setup will actually cost, and how easy it will be to get every game. [Read more 🡒]