Cavs forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin signs first guaranteed contract

He's long, athletic and plays like a Tasmanian devil. Cavaliers forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin has also agreed to the first guaranteed contract of his two-year NBA career. His two-way contract is being converted into a two-year, $3 million standard contract, ESPN reported. Cleveland (33-21) created a roster spot for him when they traded struggling point guard Lonzo Ball and two second-round picks to the Utah Jazz and didn't get a player back in return. Utah waived Ball, who is expected to sign with the Golden State Warriors. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound Tomlin was an undrafted free agent who played collegiately at Kansas State and Memphis. As a two-way player, he was limited to playing 50 games this season for the Cavs, who have won four in a row and nine of their last 10 games. They will host the Washington Wizards tonight at Rocket Arena in their last game before All-Star weekend. Tomlin, 25, is averaging 6.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting .487 from the field, .224 from the 3-point line and .745 from the foul line in 43 games. He was one of the first players off the bench on Monday in Cleveland's 119-117 victory over the Denver Nuggets. His minutes will be affected when injured forwards Evan Mobley (calf) and Dean Wade (ankle) return to the lineup, perhaps after the All-Star break. "He's playing real minutes and he's helping us," Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said recently. "He's been a revelation." Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said earlier in the season if Tomlin improves his 3-point shooting, the Cavs will have a legitimate playoff piece on their hands. Tomlin is extremely aggressive and can guard almost anyone on the court with his long arms. Tomlin also doesn't back down from anyone. The Wizards (14-38) have lost 14 in a row to Cleveland since 2022. The Cavs are 16-5 since Dec. 29, marking the best winning percentage in the NBA (.761) over that span. Cleveland is averaging 119.6 points per game, tops in the Eastern Conference and third best in the league. The Cavs' highest-scoring effort this season came at Washington in a 148-115 decision on Nov. 7. Cleveland wrapped up a 4-1 West Coast trip when it closed the game on a staggering 15-6 run to slip past the Nuggets. Newly acquired point guard James Harden's step-back 3-pointer in the waning seconds was key. The Cavs now boast what could be the league's most potent starting backcourt in Donovan Mitchell and Harden. Mitchell is averaging a career-high 29.0 points, fifth in the NBA, and has recorded at least one steal in a career-best 23 consecutive games. He had a game-high 32 points, a team-high 10 assists and two blocks against the Nuggets. Harden flirted with a triple-double Monday with 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and a season-high three blocks. It was Harden's 770th career 20-point game, two shy of passing Wilt Chamberlain (771 games) for 10th on the NBA's all-time list. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.