The Cleveland Cavaliers were almost perfect at the trade deadline. They added a future first-ballot Hall of Famer in James Harden, two above-average role players in Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis, and lowered their luxury tax bill by $100 million.
More than that, they also added by subtraction. They pulled the plug on the failed Lonzo Ball experiment by trading him with second-round draft capital to the Utah Jazz. He's now going to be waived and become a free agent.
Moving on from Ball was the most no-brainer move of the deadline. And now that the team has cleared room for another player, it's time to do something that needed to be done a long time ago: Sign Nae'Qwan Tomlin to a standard deal.
Cavs need to give Nae'Qwan Tomlin a standard contract
The Cavs are undeniably a better team now than they were 72 hours ago. That said, they still lack size and hustle, and the 6-foot-8 Tomlin can provide both off the bench. He's on a two-way deal, and it's time to do right by him once and for all.
Koby Atlman's post-deadline presser confirmed that is what will happen. The Cavs president made his intentions crystal clear. Altman explicitly stated that Tomlin will indeed be converted to a standard NBA contract now that these trade antics are over.
#Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman confirmed on his post trade deadline Zoom that Nae’Qwan Tomlin will be converted to a standard NBA deal. #LetEmKnow
— Ethan Sands (@EjElite1) February 5, 2026
Tomlin burst onto the scene after dominating in the G-League last season. He got a ten-day contract and made a strong impression on Kenny Atkinson's coaching staff, even though he didn't get to play that much.
This season, he's made 41 appearances (two starts) and has averaged 6.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game on 48.0 percent from the floor. Those numbers rise to 13.7 points and 6.5 boards a night per 36 minutes, but his impact goes way beyond the numbers.
Following last year's heartbreaking playoff elimination, Koby Altman acknowledged that this team lacked toughness. Jarrett Allen tries hard, but he's not necessarily the most physical big man out there. And even though Tomlin plays at the four, he's the type of enforcer and catalyst that a team like the Cavs needs to have on the court early and often.
He's proven that he belongs in the league, so the Cavs might as well make it official. Even though he won't solve all of their size issues in the paint, he's a never-ending source of hustle, grit, and grind off the bench.