Ousmane Dieng has seen his value plummet from intriguing lottery talent to afterthought forward throughout his three seasons with the OKC Thunder.
Because of this, many have been under the assumption that the 22-year-old is heading into a lame duck 2025-26 campaign with the franchise, destined to see his rookie-scale contract expire and, ultimately, find him departing from Oklahoma City come next summer's free agency period.
However, recently, Dieng has been generating substantial buzz with his shooting skills during a practice session with the French National Team as he and his teammates gear up for this year's EuroBasket.
Though they may only be clips of him knocking down uncontested shots that are in non-game action, the attention being drawn leading into the tournament could actually prove to be quite beneficial for the youngster and, quite frankly, the Thunder, for any positive press he generates with Team France could actually help bolster his value on the trade market.
Thunder could benefit from Ousmane Dieng's play with Team France
Regardless of whether Dieng will solely be used during the exhibition stage of play (with game one coming August 4 at 2 pm (ET)) or also during the actual tournament that's set to start on August 27, his upcoming involvement with international ball should only be seen as a positive.
Let's not forget that it was his production overseas that initially made him a highly sought-after prospect upon coming into the association, as he established himself as a high-upside, two-way frontcourt contributor with elite defensive instincts while playing for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League.
On top of this, the last time he played a significant role for his home country in meaningful action was during the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship, where he averaged 8.9 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game while helping them to a silver medal finish along the way.
Since coming to the States, it's been more than apparent that Dieng has struggled to find his footing on this stacked Thunder squad.
However, when running with their development team, the OKC Blue, the forward has visibly looked more confident and has regularly shown glimpses of his pre-draft potential.
Through 42 games played, he averages 17.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on 47.2 percent shooting with the club and even served as a driving force in them winning the 2024 NBA G League Finals, with Dieng taking home MVP honors.
Clearly, the France native has shown flashes of his upside as a player, though, since 2021, they have come in lesser-viewed settings like the NBA Development League.
This summer, Dieng has an opportunity to shine on the much bigger international stage, which, if he's successful, could raise his value as a trade asset in the NBA and allow the Thunder to sell higher on his services than what he's currently worth.