The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t been able to recapture the momentum from last year’s regular season, but they’re still keeping pace in the Eastern Conference standings. At 25-20, they are in sixth place in the East. And one of the biggest bright spots has been the breakout of two-way contract forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin joined the Cavs late last season first on a 10-day contract, then a two-way contract. This year, he’s received extended minutes, and has seized his opportunity. With the second half of the season approaching, the Cavs are poised to convert Tomlin’s two-way contract to a standard deal, as per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
The Cavs’ roster currently stands at 14 standard contract players and three two-way contracts. They have the roster spot to go ahead and convert Tomlin’s deal. He’s played in a total of 34 games, and he’s eligible for up to 50 games on the active roster as part of his two-way contract.
The main reason why the Cavs might not opt to convert Tomlin’s deal immediately is because the trade deadline has not happened yet. It’s possible the Cavs’ roster could shuffle by then. But if not, Tomlin would appear to have the inside track to grab the 15th spot, and thus, be eligible for the playoffs.
Tomlin has appeared in 34 games, including two starts, at a little over 16 minutes per game for the Cavs this season. He is averaging 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds with splits of 47.5 percent shooting from the field and 71.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, Tomlin played in NBA Summer League with the Cavs and was invited to training camp. He was one of the final roster cuts ahead of the 2024-25 season, and was playing with the team’s G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge, when they initially signed him.