Nae'Qwan Tomlin officially joins the Cleveland Cavaliers active roster after carving out an impactful role for himself off the bench this season
A Cleveland Cavaliers roster that already features several impactful young role players, another has quickly emerged.
On Tuesday, versatile forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin was signed to the active roster via a two-year, $3 million contract. The 25-year-old had exhausted the 50-game limit for a player to be active on a two-way deal, leaving Cleveland no choice but to add him to the its roster.
Tomlin has been an unexpectedly impactful role player for the Cavs, providing some much-needed energy at times off the bench and delivering several impactful moments throughout the season.
As the Cavaliers struggled to find consistency due to injuries early in the season, Tomlin started to really flash, including producing an 18-point performance on Nov. 13 that caught everyone's attention.
He continued to carve out a role for himself, forcing head coach Kenny Atkinson to keep him in the rotation. Now, in just his second year in the league, Tomlin has earned the first full-time contract of his career.
Signing Tomlin was expected. Among a flurry of moves Cleveland made before last week's NBA trade deadline, it sent veteran guard Lonzo Ball to the Utah Jazz in what was seen as a salary-dumping deal. Doing so opened up one spot on the roster for Tomlin.
The Memphis and Kansas State product went undrafted in 2024 but joined the Cavaliers summer league team that year. He joined Cleveland's G League team, the Charge, later that fall.
Last February he signed a 10-day contract with the wine and gold, before inking the two-way contract he was on in early March. Tomlin officially became the fifth undrafted player signed to Cleveland's active roster, joining Craig Porter Jr., Dean Wade, Keon Ellis and Max Strus.
In 43 games is averaging about 17 minutes a night, and shooting an impressive 48% from the floor. He's averaging 6.5 points, 3.1 boards, and one assist per game.
What's not measured in his stats, however, is the infectious energy he's provided the Cavaliers this season. If there's a hustle play to be made, Tomlin is often the one making it.
How his role evolves as the season continues and the playoffs eventually begin will be worth monitoring.