The Atlanta Hawks signed center Will Baker to an Exhibit 10 contract, bringing the former LSU big man to training camp and preseason.
The Atlanta Hawks signed center Will Baker to an Exhibit 10 contract Monday.
Baker will join Atlanta for training camp and the preseason. After that, he is expected to land with the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks' G League affiliate, for the upcoming G League season.
Last season, Baker played for the Osceola Magic, the G League affiliate of the Orlando Magic. The 6-foot-11 center averaged 9.5 points on 62.7% shooting and 6.1 rebounds per game. He appeared in 43 games and averaged 18.6 minutes, shooting 37.5% from 3-point range and 71.2% from the free-throw line.
In July, he played for Orlando's Summer League team in Las Vegas.
Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year, non-guaranteed deals. They can be converted into two-way contracts, and they do not count against the salary cap unless the player makes the regular-season roster. If Atlanta waives Baker before the season and he spends at least 60 days with College Park, he is eligible for a bonus of up to $91,000 on top of his G League salary.
The signing put the Hawks at 20 players under contract, one short of the offseason limit of 21.
Two Seasons in the G League
Baker, 25, went undrafted in 2024 out of LSU. He opened his professional career overseas with the Port of Antwerp Giants of the BNXT League, which spans Belgium and the Netherlands. In 13 appearances there, he averaged 8.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists.
Iowa claimed Baker off waivers Dec. 13, 2024. The Wolves waived guard Mike Miles Jr. in the corresponding move. Baker was eligible to play that night against the Motor City Cruise.
He stayed in Des Moines through the end of the 2024-25 season. Osceola, which plays in Kissimmee, Florida, had him for 2025-26.
Texas, Nevada, and LSU
Baker grew up in Austin, Texas, and played at Westlake High School. Rivals had him at No. 28 in the 2019 recruiting class. ESPN ranked him 37th.
Westlake went 34-4 in his senior year and reached the Class 6A regional semifinals. Baker averaged 24.7 points and 12.8 rebounds that season. The Austin American-Statesman named him Central Texas Player of the Year as a junior and again as a senior.
His college career started at Texas. As a freshman in 2019-20, he played in 23 games and averaged 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game.
Midway through his sophomore year, Baker transferred to Nevada, arriving for the spring 2021 semester. In 2022-23, he averaged 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Wolf Pack. He shot 56% from the field and 35.5% from 3-point range and was named to the All-Mountain West third team. That season, he scored 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting in a double-overtime win over New Mexico.
Baker transferred to LSU for his final year of eligibility in 2023-24. He scored 29 points in 19 minutes in the Tigers' season opener, a 106-60 win over Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 6, 2023.
Across 119 college games, 91 of them starts, Baker averaged 10.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists.
Atlanta's Roster
Three days before Baker signed, Atlanta waived guards Devin Carter and Lamont Butler on Sept. 11. The Hawks had signed Butler one day earlier and waived forward Keyshawn Bryant to make room for him.
Carter, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 draft, was owed a guaranteed $5,158,080 this season. Atlanta acquired him and a 2033 second-round pick from the Sacramento Kings in late June. On Monday, Carter agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Boston Celtics.
Atlanta's centers include Onyeka Okongwu, Jock Landale, and rookie Zuby Ejiofor. The Hawks re-signed Landale this offseason and drafted Ejiofor in June.
Earlier this month, Ettore Messina joined the Hawks in an advisory role, reuniting with Hawks coach Quin Snyder.
Atlanta opens the regular season Oct. 21 at Orlando, with tip-off at 7 p.m. ET. The home opener is Oct. 24 against the Houston Rockets.
