CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s the latest edition of Hey, Chris!
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Hey Chris: Are the Cavs planning to keep forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin and give him a standard contract? -- John, Columbus
Hey, John: The short answer is probably.
Sources tell cleveland.com that the plan — or perhaps hope — is to convert Tomlin from a two-way, giving him the15th full-time roster spot. He has earned it. Teammates and coaches are pushing for it. The front office believes in him. He is the organization’s latest unearthing, the kind of unheralded gem needed to balance a pricey roster.
But there’s no rush.
Wednesday night was his 34th game, meaning he is still 16 away from the 50-game threshold for two-way players. The trade deadline is Feb. 5. The Cavs only have seven games before then.
Why is that important?
Because cap-strapped Cleveland, the only team in the second apron, with numerous salary-cap restrictions, could theoretically make a 2-for-1 trade where it takes back multiple players. If that kind of deal presents itself then it would put the Cavaliers at the 15-player max, leaving no room for a Tomlin conversion and making him ineligible for the postseason — unless there’s some kind of follow-up move to re-open that roster spot. That, of course, is a theoretical scenario. The Cavs could stand pat at the deadline, choosing to keep rebuffing offers and re-affirming belief in this sometimes-exasperating group.
In that case, it would be a no-brainer.
Either way, the front office needs to weigh everything, including the benefit of maintaining optionality and flexibility through the deadline.
The other side of that is Tomlin’s importance.
During Wednesday’s wire-to-wire victory in Charlotte, the bouncy 25-year-old forward logged more minutes than any other reserve. He played the sixth most among all players on Cleveland’s roster — the kind of workload that highlights Tomlin’s precipitous rise.
In 21 minutes, he tallied six points and nine rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. The Cavs had 17 offensive boards and 25 second-chance points — two critical stats that helped buoy an erratic, turnover-prone offense clearly missing Darius Garland (sprained right great toe) and Sam Merrill (right hand sprain).
With embattled De’Andre Hunter — the supposed second unit anchor — proving to be ineffective yet again, going 1 of 6 from the field and committing four turnovers in 13 lousy minutes, Tomlin’s activity became a necessity.
It’s been that way all season.
Even though Tomlin is raw and still makes plenty of mistakes, his hustle is relentless, his spirit is infectious and his size and switchability give Cleveland a different look on the defensive end. At the very least, Tomlin has proven he belongs. And, to this point, he has outplayed his team-friendly, inexpensive contract.
“He creates energy for us,” Evan Mobley said of Tomlin. “Every time he’s on the floor, something good happens, the ball ends up in his hands. When guys have knacks for that, they get more and more minutes, and it’s paying off.”
An afterthought to start the season, seemingly buried on the depth chart, beneath the likes of Mobley, Hunter, offseason acquisition Larry Nance Jr. and sometimes-starter Dean Wade, Tomlin has become a mainstay of the every-night rotation.
“His motor is elite,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “He’s so long that he gets these loose balls that other guys can’t get. I’m just so excited about him. He fits the prototype of the modern NBA wing. I love that he is firing up those open 3s where his feet are set. We found ourselves a real player. He’s been huge for us.”
Tomlin is averaging 6.2 points on 47.5% from the field and 21.9% from 3-point range to go with 3.3 rebounds. With him on the court, Cleveland has a net rating of 5.1. With him off, that net rating drops to 1.2. He has logged at least 16 minutes in all but one game this month.
“He’s only been playing basketball for five years,” Donovan Mitchell added. “There are certain things that are going to come natural to [some other guys] that aren’t going to come natural to him. For him to be able to do this in the best league in the world and still figure it out, that just shows how much work he puts in.
“For me, just continuing to be his biggest supporter. He got down on himself a couple times and I said, ‘I don’t care. Keep being aggressive on both ends of the floor.’ He has done that.”
It will likely earn him a full-time contract.