On July 17th, Michael Scotto announced that Caleb Houstan had signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks. However, over a month would pass before Atlanta finally confirmed the signing on August 19th.
Yesterday, we learned that the deal is not a standard one-year deal. Keith Smith of Spotrac reported that Houstan's deal is only an Exhibit 10 deal, meaning that Houstan's salary does not count against Atlanta's cap space until the season starts.
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 this functionally means is that training camp will be a try out for Houstan. With him earning the Exhibit 10 contract, it is safe to assume he is the Hawks' favorite to earn the final roster spot. If he underperforms, though, the Hawks can cut him with minimal consequences.
Is Houstan's roster spot in question?
This revelation adds a potential explanation for why the Hawks waited to sign Houstan. If Atlanta was insistent upon Houstan signing an Exhibit 10 contract, perhaps Houstan tried to negotiate up to a standard minimum deal. But this begs the question of why Atlanta was insistent on a relatively minor contract term.
Ostensibly, the only reason a team would delay signing a player by a month to negotiate an Exhibit 10 is if they feel they may cut the player before training camp. If Houstan was considered a safe bet for a rotation spot internally, Atlanta probably would have expedited the deal to get Houstan officially on the squad.
If the Hawks decided to part ways with Houstan in the preseason, the clear frontrunner for the final roster spot would be Jacob Toppin. After playing his first 25 NBA games over two seasons as a two-way player in New York, Toppin was released and signed by the Hawks to a two-way contract. In his first and only game as a Hawk, Toppin dropped 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists on 5/8 from three.
Toppin built upon this performance in summer league, averaging 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds over three games. He had flashes as an all-around player that would fit perfectly in Atlanta, showcasing tenacious defense and elite shooting from three. He was clearly one of the best players on the floor in each game, showcasing a versatile 3-and-D skillset the Hawks, or any team, could use.
While Atlanta has all the talent necessary to compete, they have both questionable size and depth in the frontcourt, which could prove problematic against the highest competition. If he's ready for the NBA, Toppin would be the perfect player to alleviate this issue. Standing at 6'9 and 205 pounds, Toppin would be Atlanta's second biggest wing after Jalen Johnson.
It appears Toppin and Houstan will have a position battle for the last roster opening in training camp. Houstan seems to be the internal favorite after receiving the Exhibit 10 contract, but Toppin has a real chance to steal the spot.