How Cavs’ 2-way star earned $3 million guaranteed contract: ‘He’s been a revelation’

The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed on new terms with Nae’Qwan Tomlin, converting his two-way deal into a two-year, $3 million guaranteed contract, multiple league sources confirmed to ClutchPoints on Tuesday morning. Tomlin’s promotion makes him the 15th man on the Cavs’ roster and opens up a two-way slot for the team.

On Monday, Tomlin played the last of his 50 allotted games allowed by his old contract. Cleveland president of basketball operations Koby Altman confirmed last week that converting the energetic forward was in the team’s plans all along, and for good reason.

“Not only is he getting converted, but he’s playing real minutes, and he’s helping us,” Altman said in his post-trade deadline media availability. “So he’s been a revelation.”

In 43 games this year, Tomlin is averaging 6.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and an assist in over 17 minutes per contest. He also takes care of the basketball with just a 7.0% turnover percentage, which, according to Cleaning the Glass, is in the 95th percentile in the NBA.

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson has spoken ad nauseam of Tomlin’s energy and hustle plays, which can’t be quantified.

“He’s not stuck in mud. He’s like a racehorse out there,” Atkinson said on Nov. 15 following a win vs. the Memphis Grizzlies. “He’s flying, he’s getting deflections. He’s all over the place. Even offensively. He got out in transition, made a couple plays. He looks like he’s playing an open gym in September.”

It is the way he competes, the way he accepts any challenge, and the way he turns up the heat when he steps on the floor that kept Cleveland above water when it struggled in the early months.

“He’s phenomenal, ain’t he? Every day,” Mitchell said on Jan. 12 after a loss to the Utah Jazz at home. “He just knows one speed. It’s just a blessing to watch that, you know what I’m saying? Every night, he does that for us. And it’s not always going to be perfect, right? But he’s always going to give us that, and that’s huge. Him, Jaylon [Tyson], Craig [Porter Jr.]. We always highlight our young guys, Tyrese [Proctor], but ‘Qwan’s been phenomenal.”

“I mean, that guy, he’s everywhere,” Jarrett Allen added that same night. “Defense, offense, on the bench, he’s doing it all at every point of the game. We just have to feed off of that energy, understand that when six through 15 are doing it, one through five have to do it as well.”

Even when the team didn’t as a whole, Tomlin did it every night, against whoever, which has earned him a place in Cleveland’s rotation.

“I think just trying to be a star in my role,” Tomlin said after a nationally televised Cavs beatdown of the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 28. “I feel like my role is an energy guy, somebody that’s gonna come out there, play defense, play hard, make winning plays. So I just feel like I’ve tried to be a star in that.”

“This guy’s 6-10,” Atkinson added. “I don’t know what his wingspan is. He’s everywhere. He starts making threes, we’re gonna have a hell of a player on our hands.”

When the Cavs discovered Nae’Qwan Tomlin’s potential

In only the fourth game of his sophomore season, Tomlin scored 18 points against the Toronto Raptors, and that was the first time Atkinson was thinking of what more could be there.

“Imagine it’s like, ‘All of a sudden I’m an NBA player. I can get 18 points. I can play in a big game like this and contribute, have great minutes,'” Atkinson said. “I can’t imagine what it does for a guy’s confidence. But I really believe in the work, right? I mean, summer league, he was incredible, right? He was elite. You said, ‘Well, summer league, sure.’ And then I would say, ‘Open gym and preseason, really good.’

“So it shouldn’t really be a surprise to us, the coaching staff. But he’s building confidence. This is a speed game now. It’s going like this, and his profile, the way he runs the court, his length, he fits this league.”

From that point on, Atkinson rewarded him with the playing time he earned. It was consistent, then sporadic, then consistent again. It matches the kind of season Cleveland’s had on the injury front.

But this time, when the squad gets healthier, it can’t afford to keep the 25-year-old dynamo on the pine. Fast-forward to now, and the Cavs know who he is.

Tomlin is one of those guys who is wired differently. He’ll get in your face after a dunk, he’ll beat you to every loose ball, and he’ll let you know he’s there.

“I loved his energy, his feistiness,” Atkinson said after a loss to the Houston Rockets on Nov. 19. “You’re hoping, like, we discovered a real gem here. I mean, he’s showing, really showing some things with his length and athleticism, and he’s tough as nails. He’s not backing down from anybody. Crazy competitive.”

That’s why the Cavs converted him, and why he’ll continue to be a force when he’s in between those four lines.

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