The Cavaliers could look to add a member of the Charge to meet the minimum roster requirements this week.
NBA rules require a team to have 14 players on their standard roster not counting two-way players. Teams can dip below that number but not for more than two weeks at a time or for 28 days in a season. The recent De’Andre Hunter trade brought the Cleveland Cavaliers to 13 active players. They have to sign a player by Thursday to meet the roster requirements.
Given how the Cavs have handled situations like this in the past, it’s fair to believe they will head into the playoffs with 15 players on their active roster in addition to the one they need to add now. Based on recent practices, it would make sense that they would elevate one of their two-way players to a standard roster spot, add a free agent not currently on their team, and then sign a player to an additional two-way contract.
All of those things aren’t likely to happen before Thursday.
It seems more likely that the Cavs will add a player on a 10-day contract to meet the minimum roster requirements. In the recent past, these players have come from their G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge. It stands to reason that will happen again.
Here’s a look at three members of the Charge that would make sense to add to 10-day contracts while they round out the edges of the roster.
Pete Nance
The Cavs have familiarity with Nance. He spent the end of last season on a two-way deal with the team, signed two 10-day contracts with them last season, has been on the past two Summer League teams, and was in training camp before starting the year with the Charge.
Nance was signed to a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers on two separate occasions this season before returning to the Charge just before the All-Star break.
This season, Nance is averaging 15.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game on 47.8% shooting from the floor and 37.8% shooting from three in 18 G League games with both the Deleware Blue Coats and the Charge. He appeared in seven games with the Sixers and averaged 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game.
The Cavs could use more big-man depth. It isn’t difficult to see how Nance would help the team in the short term.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin
Tomlin has the potential to fill an immediate need with the Cavs. At 6’10, 210 pounds, Tomlin has shown he can be a productive power forward in the G League who is more than capable of stretching the floor. He’s connected on 36.2% of his 4.3 three-point attempts per game. This has led to him averaging 15.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game on 54.5% shooting from the floor.
Three-point shooting isn’t Tomlin’s only attribute. He’s shown to be comfortable acting as an on-ball initiator for himself and his teammates. This has allowed him to be more than just a stretch four that gets most of their offense off of pick-and-pops or simply spacing to the corner. His skillset would fit in well into Kenny Atkinson’s offense which requires everyone on the court to play with and without the ball.
Tomlin has had an untraditional path to professional basketball. He played three years at the JUCO level before transferring to Kansas State for the 2022-23 season and then moving on to Memphis for 2023-24. Tomlin was undrafted out of college but spent this past Summer League with the Cavs.
The Cavs need power forwards who can stretch the floor and provide extra depth there. Tomlin has the skillset and size to do that. Trying him out on a 10-day contract would make perfect sense.
Feron Hunt
The 6’8” forward is having a solid season with the Charge. He was signed to a two-way contract with the New York Knicks at the end of the 2022 season but was released the following fall.
The 25-year-old is averaging 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game on 54% shooting from the field in 36 games with the Charge. Hunt has stepped up in his last 20 games as Emoni Bates and Luke Travers have missed extended stretches due to injuries. In that time, he’s averaging 19.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.
Hunt has shown to be comfortable attacking the basket both on and off-ball while being an excellent rebounder for his size. The rebounding allows him to comfortably play the three and four in the G League, but it’s fair to question whether he can play power forward in the NBA which is an issue when looking at the Cavs roster. The lack of a three-point shot, 29.6% on two attempts per game, is also less than ideal.
Hunt has played well this season and shown that he could be ready for another opportunity in the NBA. However, he may not be an ideal fit on this Cavs team given the fact he may not be a four at the next level.