Forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin is being promoted from his two-way contract to the Cavaliers‘ standard 15-man roster, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Agent Aaron Turner tells Charania that his client is signing a two-year, minimum-salary contract that will be guaranteed through next season.
Tomlin, who played college ball for four different schools from 2019-24, went undrafted out of Memphis and spent last season in the Cavaliers’ organization — he was a member of the Cleveland Charge in the G League before signing a 10-day deal with the Cavs in February and then receiving a two-year, two-way contract in March.
Tomlin appeared in just five NBA games last season, but he has emerged as a regular part of the team’s rotation in 2025/26, averaging 6.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 17.1 minutes per contest through 43 appearances.
While Tomlin has only seen the court in 43 games, he was also active for seven more, which means he reached the limit of 50 active games for a two-way player on Monday. In order to keep using him, the Cavs will have to promote him to their 15-man roster and they’ll do just that, as Charania confirms.
Because they’re operating over the second tax apron, the Cavs can’t give Tomlin more than his minimum salary or more than two years, so they’re essentially making him their best possible offer by fully guaranteeing that two-year minimum deal. If he’s officially promoted on Wednesday ahead of Cleveland’s matchup with Washington, the 25-year-old would make $718,150 for the rest of this season and $2,411,090 in 2026/27.
The Cavs, who will add to their projected tax bill by promoting Tomlin, won’t need to make a corresponding move, since they have an open spot on their 15-man roster.