The Auburn Tigers won three SEC Championships, two regular season, one in Nashville, and made one of their two Final Fours in program history while Dylan Cardwell rocked the orange and blue. AU is undoubtedly better off for having Cardwell. So are the Sacramento Kings, who otherwise haven't been making many popular roster decisions.
No, Sacramento doesn't get much envy for reuniting the ineffective Chicago Bulls duo of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, but they do for having signed Cardwell as an undrafted free agent. At least from the Golden State Warriors.
As Blue Man Hoop's Peter O'Keefe writes, the Dubs have drafter's remorse by taking Australian prospect Alex Toohey, who was originally taken by the Phoenix Suns with the No. 52 pick before being traded, instead of the SEC-tested Cardwell. Toohey is with the G League's Santa Cruz Warriors and hasn't played a single NBA minute yet.
"While Cardwell may never develop into a bonafide starter or anything of that nature, he may still prove one that got away from the Warriors given he was available to them, and especially if Toohey never returns to the franchise in the future," O'Keefe wrote.
Dylan Cardwell has the skillset to be a low-minute starter in the NBA
As a defense and energy guy who can finish at the rim when properly set up, Cardwell has the kind of skillset NBA franchises value in low-minute, high-impact roles at the 5. Teams with strong offensive wings could facilitate a defensive-focused role for Cardwell. An ideal offensive match would be a pick-and-roll specialist in the backcourt, but most NBA players are throwing lobs these days.
While O'Keefe doesn't see a permanent starter role, since undrafted bigs don't always make for long-term starters, a Naz Reid-esque developmental arc would be downright horrifying for the rest of the Association. Cardwell has legitimate NBA size, which doesn't always come with all-out hustle and the culture benefits he brings.
Sacramento got a steal last year. Their rivals wish they unearthed Cardwell first.