Atlanta Hawks Newest Signing Gets Important New Update

The Atlanta Hawks recently announced the signing of Caleb Houstan, but there has been a new report regarding this deal

Apr 1, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Orlando Magic guard Caleb Houstan (2) warms up before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Earlier this week, the Atlanta Hawks seemingly completed their 15-man roster with the signing of Magic forward Caleb Houstan to a one-year contract. While the Hawks did not disclose the terms of the deal because of team policy, there was an important update regarding the deal today.

Not a guaranteed contract?

Mar 29, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Caleb Houstan (2) shoots the three at the end of the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images | Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

While it was assumed that Houstan was the 15th man on the roster (and he still might be), he was not signed to a regular contract. According to Keith Smith at Spotrac, Houstan's deal with the Hawks is an Exhibit 10 deal with the Hawks.

Caleb Houstan's contract with the Atlanta Hawks is an Exhibit 10 deal, a league source told @spotrac.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 21, 2025

What exactly is an Exhibit 10 contract?

Per hoopsrumors, "Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year deals worth the minimum salary. They don’t come with any compensation protection, but can include an optional bonus. Exhibit 10 contracts don’t count against a team’s salary cap during the offseason. However, they would begin to count against the cap if a team decides to keep a player on an Exhibit 10 contract into the regular season, essentially converting his deal to a standard one-year, minimum-salary deal."

So essentially, Houstan is going to be fighting for that last roster spot in training camp if Smith's reporting about the contract is true.

Will Houstan make the Roster?

Feb 12, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Caleb Houstan (2) shoots a three point basket during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

I would say that Houstan is going to be the favorite to make the roster as the 15th guy due to his shooting ability and the Hawks need for more shooting.

Houstan (pronounced “Houston”) appeared in 58 games (six starts) during the 2024-25 season with the Orlando Magic, averaging 4.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 13.6 minutes (.421 FG%, .400 3FG%, .882 FT%). Following the All-Star break, he recorded a .507% clip from three-point range, the second-highest mark in the NBA amongst all players over that time (min. 35 3FGM). Against Minnesota on March 14, Houstan poured in a season-best 18 points on a season-high tying six made triples (6-8 3FGM), in addition to swiping a career-high tying four steals in 27 minutes of action.

Selected by Orlando with the 32nd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Houstan has seen action in 168 career games (23 starts), owning averages of 4.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 14.4 minutes. He has also appeared in eight playoff games across two postseason runs with the Magic.

In three games with the Osceola Magic of the NBA G League during the 2024-25 campaign, the 6-8 forward averaged 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal in 33.4 minutes. Houstan has appeared in 15 games (four starts) in his NBA G League career, recording 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30.2 minutes (.402 FG%, .353 3FG%, .885 FT%).

A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Houstan appeared in 34 games (all starts) with Michigan in his lone collegiate season (2021-22), tallying 10.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 32.0 minutes. He led the team in total made three-pointers (60) and was one of only two Wolverines to start in all 34 games.

It will be interesting to see how the Hawks fill the last roster spot, but Houstan will be a good candidate if he has a good training camp.