Magic Draft Pick Caleb Houstan Signs Contract: Details
ORLANDO - Orlando Magic draft pick Caleb Houstan is celebrating today, knowing he has a longterm contract signed with the team that drafted him 32nd overall in last month's draft.
According to a press release, Houstan signed his contract over the weekend but the terms were not disclosed by the team.
However, those details are now public.
According to HoopsHype, Houstan signed a four-year contract worth $8.2 million. The first two years of the deal are fully guaranteed, while his third year is non-guaranteed and the fourth year is a team option. For a second-round pick, this is one of the richest rookie deals in NBA history.
But Houstan has shown that he is worthy of the contract.
In the Magic's Summer League opener last week, Houstan scored a team-high 20 points in a win over the Houston Rockets. Houstan hasn't been able to post those kind of numbers in the games since, but he's shown enough to warrant a lucrative contract.
Houstan was a top-10 prospect in high school in 2021 and joined Michigan in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.
However, Houstan didn't tear up the Big Ten like many expected him to and he fell down draft boards throughout the season. When declaring for the draft, Houstan maintained his college eligibility before receiving feedback from NBA teams. The feedback he received was enough to keep him in the draft.
Houstan likely stayed in the draft because he has a ton of upside as a 6-8 wing that can defend and play multiple positions. There's an untapped ceiling if he can find the magic that made him a top-10 high school recruit, but he's going to have to earn minutes in a crowded wing rotation if he wants to get there.
Houstan likely spends majority of his rookie year in the G League with Lakeland before getting an opportunity late in the year with Orlando.
Houstan is a developmental project that can work if he earns the minutes, but he'll likely have to wait his turn and/or outplay the other wings on the roster.
