Cavaliers’ Nae’Qwan Tomlin out at least 3-4 weeks with a lower back stress reaction

Nae’Qwan Tomlin’s 2026-27 debut will be delayed. The Cleveland Cavaliers announced Tuesday that the forward has been diagnosed with a lower back stress reaction and will be reevaluated in about three to four weeks, a timeline reported by Chris Fedor.

Tomlin missed the entire preseason with the ailment and had not been cleared to practice. Even if he is reevaluated in three weeks and cleared right away, he would miss at least the first 11 games of Cleveland’s season. A longer absence is likely.

Tomlin, who turns 26 in December, was a regular bench contributor in his second NBA season, averaging 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.7 minutes over 64 games in 2025-26. That role earned him a promotion from a two-way contract to the standard roster, where he signed a guaranteed two-year minimum-salary deal in February.

Even when healthy, he may sit outside Kenny Atkinson’s usual rotation. Sam Merrill, Mario Hezonja and Jaylon Tyson are expected to be the primary wing and forward reserves. His absence still thins a Cleveland roster that carries only 14 players on standard contracts, one of whom, big man Khalifa Diop, is dealing with a left knee injury.