Cleveland Cavaliers Finally Reward Nae’Qwan Tomlin With New Contract

Throughout the first half of the season, two-way small forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin has been a major bright spot for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Prior to the blockbuster trade for James Harden, the Cavaliers have been plagued with their fair share of injuries. Throughout the season, the Cavs have missed Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen for extended periods. Max Strus has yet to make his debut with the Cavaliers due to a fracture in his foot.

This opened an opportunity for Tomlin, and he ran with it.

On Tuesday, the Cavaliers rewarded Tomlin with a new two-year, $3 million guaranteed contract, according to his agent Aaron Turner of Verus Basketball and ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are signing two-way forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin to a new two-year, $3 million guaranteed contract, agent Aaron Turner of Verus Basketball tells ESPN. Tomlin has served as a reliable, energetic reserve for the Cavs. pic.twitter.com/1hBU0QbRIT
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 10, 2026

Tomlin has been a spark plug off of the bench for the Cavaliers, providing energy and grit to the second unit. He’s appeared in 43 games during his second season in the NBA, getting two starting nods due to how many injuries the team has endured along the way.

He’s contributed significant mileage, averaging 17 minutes per game. On the season, Tomlin is averaging 6.5 points per game, one rebound and one assist. However, his heart and hustle can’t be captured in the box score.

"His motor is elite. ... He gets these loose balls that other guys can't get because he's so darn long," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said earlier this season. "I'm just so excited about him. He fits the prototype of the modern NBA wing. ... I love that he's firing up those open threes."

The Cavaliers had publicly stated that they would convert Tomlin’s two-way contract into a standard NBA deal, and now that move is official.

“What a story,” Cavaliers president Koby Altman said to Andscape. “He didn’t play [structured] basketball until college.”

The New York native didn’t take high school seriously and his grades weren’t good enough to play basketball his senior year, the only season he went out for the team. He played in a prep league at Rucker Park, where he was identified by Tobias Harris’ dad, Torrell.

Torrell Harris sent Tomlin to a basketball prep school in San Antonio and helped him enroll at Monroe Community College. In his first season of organized basketball, Tomlin averaged 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. This allowed him to transfer to the Chipola Indians from 2020 to 2022 and led the team to a combined 53–11 record.

After that, he transferred to Kansas State and helped the Wildcats reach the Elite Eight in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Tomlin went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft but landed a Summer League invitation from the Cavaliers and never looked back.

Now, he’s been rewarded with a multi-year guaranteed contract with the Cavaliers because of his hard work and dedication on the court.