Dylan Cardwell’s energy, exuberance and crowd-stirring celebrations made him an instant fan favorite in Sacramento. His size, length, energy and athleticism have made him a fixture in coach Doug Christie on ’s rotation.
The Kings rewarded their undrafted rookie center for his impressive play Thursday, converting his two-way contract to a multiyear NBA deal. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a league source told ESPN 1320’s James Ham the contract will pay Cardwell $871,000 for the remainder of this season and $2.15 million next season with two additional nonguaranteed years for $2.53 million and $2.74 million.
“I’m proud of Dylan and I’m proud for Dylan,” Christie said. “I talked to him today, and I won’t say what he said to me, but that’s what coaching is all about and that’s watch makes coaching worth it to be honest with you.”
Two-way players are limited to 50 active regular-season games and are paid half of the rookie minimum. Cardwell had been active for 31 games with 30 games remaining as the Kings (12-40) prepared to face the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
The Kings created a full-time roster spot for Cardwell when they traded Dennis Schroder, Keon Ellis and Dario Saric as part of a three-team deal that brought De’Andre Hunter to Sacramento.
“One of the other byproducts of the deal that was important for us as well was, in sending out three players, it opened up a roster spot for us to elevate and sign to a full-time NBA contract a guy like Dyan Cardwell, who has more than earned it and who has quickly become a fan favorite here,” Kings general manager Scott Perry said.
“He does things that are very important for any successful basketball team. He’s an energetic defender. He’s able to protect the rim. He’s a switchable center, big man, who can guard guys away from the basket as well. He’s an excellent rebounder, one of the top rebounders for the minutes he’s played as a rookie already, and we continue to see a great trajectory for him, so it was important that we be able to convert him so he would be able to finish the remainder of the season with us and not be capped at 50 games as a two way player.”
Cardwell offered a humble response when was asked about the possibility of signing a standard NBA contract following Wednesday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, a day before the new deal became official.
“I’ve been working hard for this opportunity, but at the same time I can’t take any credit,” Cardwell said. “Coming in as a two-way, I wasn’t promised any opportunity. You look at all the two-ways around the league. Some guys are playing a lot and some guys haven’t touched an NBA floor, so just because I was working hard doesn’t mean I was promised or guaranteed a position to play.
“Things had to happen. The lord gave me an opportunity, and I took advantage of that. I was persistent through it all, but at the end of the day I signed up for a two-year, two-way (contract). They didn’t have to play me. They didn’t have to put me in there, so none of that is to my credit at all.”
Cardwell has been one of the more remarkable rookie stories in the NBA this season. The 6-foot-10, 255-pound center went undrafted out of Auburn, where he averaged 4.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 166 games over five seasons. He has appeared in 25 games for the Kings, averaging 4.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 20.0 minutes per game.
“All glory to God,” Cardwell said. “Outside of the will of God, I wouldn’t be here in the NBA. No one thought I was an NBA player, and I’m not supposed to be here. Every time I get on the court is an opportunity to showcase my God given abilities.”