Leading up to the NBA trade deadline, there were rumblings that the Cleveland Cavaliers were interested in Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas. A trade never materialized, of course, and the Nets waived Thomas shortly after the deadline passed.
The Cavs, at the time, had an open roster spot and could have attempted to claim Thomas off waivers... But instead appear ready to convert Nae'Qwan Tomlin's two-way deal to a standard NBA contract, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Great move! Tomlin has been awesome, and while Thomas can be a game-changing scorer, he's completely one-dimensional, and with the roster turnover already coming to the Cavs, there's really no reason to bring Thomas into the fold, as it would probably bring more drama than anything else.
Some other team will sign Thomas, and maybe he turns into a helpful player wherever that is! But it doesn't need to be in Cleveland, and avoiding the situation entirely while also converting a front office success story feels like the clear path forward here.
Cavs roster is set after chaotic deadline
Adding James Harden, Dennis Schroder, and Keon Ellis are obviously the most noteworthy roster moves of the past few days for the Cavaliers, because all of them are new faces.
I won't try to convince you that converting Nae'Qwan Tomlin to a standard NBA contract is nearly as big of a deal as any of those moves. I will, however, say that it's yet another front office win this season.
Jaylon Tyson has (understandably) stolen headlines as "the breakout" player on the Cavaliers. He's been good enough the Cavs felt comfortable trading De'Andre Hunter.
But fans who have watched every Cavs game this season know just how good Tomlin has been in his own right. He makes the most of his 17 minutes per night, bringing energy on both ends and playing with a pretty high feel for the game.
Securing him on a standard deal is the clear and obvious move to make, instead of taking a risk on a score-first (and second, and third) guard in Cam Thomas. That rumor is probably better off staying a rumor, as the Cavs went in-house to complete their final roster move before a pivotal postseason push.