Report: Hawks Waive Two-Way Guard Keshon Gilbert, Quickly Sign Former Laker Rafael Castro

Gilbert had been injured for most of the season and was going to be out until late December, but he was waived today while the Hawks are adding big man depth

Oct 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Rafael Castro (18) during the fourth quarter in a game against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Atlanta Hawks are making moves with their two-way contracts.

According to Hoopshype reporter Michael Scott, the Hawks are going to be waiving two-way contract player Keshon Gilbert and will sign former George Washington forward/center Rafael Castro to a two-way contract to take his place. Atlanta now has three two-way contracts with the reported signing of Castro, as he joins RayJ Dennis and Jalen Wilson.

The Atlanta Hawks and Rafael Castro have agreed to a two-way deal, agents Kevin Bradbury and CJ Ward of LIFT Sports Management told @hoopshype. Castro was a 2-time All-Atlantic 10 Team selection and 2-time All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team selection at George Washington University. pic.twitter.com/lxmmnO2UJl

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) November 15, 2026

What does this mean?

While it is unlikely that Castro ever actually suits up for the Hawks, he is going to provide big man depth for a team that has questionable frontcourt depth right now.

Castro was a 2-time All-Atlantic 10 Team selection and a 2-time All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team selection at George Washington. He started his career at Providence before playing for George Washington to finish up his collegiate career. He went undrafted in the 2026 draft and signed his first two-way contract with the Houston Rockets in August. After being waived by the Rockets, he signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, but was recently waived. He will give the Hawks an intriguing defensive option to have in the G League in College Park.

The Hawks currently have Onyeka Okongwu, Jock Landale, and Zuby Ejiofor at center, with Landale struggling with injuries this season. Henri Veesaar injured his ACL before the season and is not going to be available to play for the Hawks this season. At power forward, Mouhamed Gueye and Asa Newell are currently injured, while Dorian Finney-Smith has not been part of the rotation. The Hawks have resorted to playing Lu Dort as the backup power forward, a move that has not had a lot of success. Corey Kispert has seen minutes when Johnson was out with injury.

It is pretty clear that the Hawks miss Gueye right now in terms of his defensive impact and would certainly welcome him back when he is healthy. His injury, combined with Newell's, has left the Hawks without much depth at power forward and that leaves them undersized.

The Hawks have had some success with two-way contract players before and because he has not seen a lot of action in either the G League or the NBA, it is still an open question as to what Castro can do at this level. As I said before though, I am not counting on him seeing actual minutes on the court, barring something catastrophic.