The Magic are guaranteeing Caleb Houstan‘s $2.02MM salary for the 2024/25 season, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required).
Houstan’s contract included a salary guarantee deadline of June 30, meaning Orlando had to waive him on Sunday in order to avoid locking in his minimum salary. However, the decision to guarantee that money was long expected and had been accounted for in the club’s cap room projections for the summer, Beede writes.
Houston, 21, was the 32nd overall pick in the 2022 draft. He has played a modest role off Orlando’s bench in his first two NBA seasons, averaging 4.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game across 110 total regular season appearances (17 starts).
The 6’8″ forward shoots almost exclusively from beyond the arc – he attempted 193 three-pointers and just 13 two-pointers in 2023/24 – and bumped his three-point percentage to 37.3% on 3.3 attempts per game in his second NBA season.
Houstan’s contract includes a $2.19MM team option for the 2025/26 season.
Four other players besides Houstan had June 30 salary guarantee dates in their contracts, as our tracker shows. Chris Paul (Warriors) and Troy Brown (Pistons) were waived prior to the deadline, while Alex Caruso (Thunder) was assured of his full guaranteed following the trade to Oklahoma City. There has been no specific reporting on Jaden Hardy‘s guarantee, but it’s safe to assume the Mavericks will lock in the $2.02MM salary for the promising young guard.
[Update: Michael Scotto of HoopsHype has confirmed (via Twitter) that Hardy’s salary for 2024/25 is now guaranteed.]
Good Job Caleb. You caught my eye somewhere on the middle of the season. I am liking what I see and I am expecting big things from you in the future.