At this point in the Sacramento Kings' season, it's safe to say that Dylan Cardwell needs to be in the majors. Last night cemented that as Sacramento picked up their ninth win of the season with Cardwell turning in his best performance as a King to date. It's time to make a move on him.
At the moment, Dylan is on a two-way contract with the Kings organization. That means he's currently playing for both Sacramento in the NBA and Stockton in the G League. It's safe to say that Cardwell has more than proven he is ready for the show and can make a difference for Sacramento.
Last night's win over the Rockets was further evidence of that. Cardwell turned in his best performance of the season to date, collecting nine points, 11 rebounds, and one assist in 19 minutes on the court. Those were season highs for him in both points and rebounds.
Everything wasn't perfect, though. It was a rare appearance without a block, which has become his trademark. His shooting efficiency needs work as he went four for 11 from the field. On top of that, he had five fouls, which is a slight improvement from the six he had in the last game.
Cardwell needs to be on the Kings' main roster
All of that being said, Cardwell is a rookie who has only played 12 NBA games in his career. Keeping that in mind, he's doing incredibly well and has advanced quickly in a relatively short period of time. It's hard not to wonder how far he can go once he's permanently on an NBA roster.
Players on two-way contracts are limited on how many NBA games they can play, with a maximum of 50 in a season. Cardwell has already played in 12, leaving him eligible for 38 more games. There are 43 left. He's also ineligible to play in the Playoffs, though that is unlikely to come up for the Kings.
Sacramento should really be looking at converting Cardwell's two-way contract to a regular contract, something they can do at any time. He's already getting far more minutes than a number of deep bench players, such as Dario Saric, Doug McDermott, and even Devin Carter.
However Sacramento pulls it off, they need to clear a spot on the main roster and move Cardwell up as soon as possible. His defense is top-notch, his offense is improving drastically, and his energy is unmatched on the team. This is a guy the Kings need in a big way as part of the rebuild.