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Hawks Nightly Desk · transactions · Friday, September 18

William Baker leaves the Atlanta Hawks roster

Atlanta HawksOff the roster
William Baker
C · 25 · rookie
The move
Leaves the Hawks
official roster · Sep 18, 2026
2026-27 cap hit
Not on file yet
public salary data lags a signing by a day
Hawks payroll
$197.0M
over the cap · cap $165.0M · tax $200.4M
Roster
22 players
standard limit 15 + 3 two-way
By the Hawks Nightly Desk · 2 h ago

William Baker is off the Atlanta Hawks roster, a move detected from the official roster on Friday, September 18. No report preceded the change, and Baker's contract is not yet on file.

The move

William Baker, a 25-year-old rookie center, is no longer on the Atlanta Hawks roster. The move was detected from the official roster on Friday, September 18, and no report preceded it. Baker played no NBA minutes last season, and there is no word yet on where he heads next. Atlanta has not made any corresponding announcement beyond the roster change itself.

The money

Baker's contract is not on file yet; public salary data can lag a signing by a day, so his cap hit and any guaranteed years are unknown for now. Atlanta's overall payroll sits at $197.0 million across 17 contracts for 2026-27, putting the Hawks over the salary cap of $165.0 million but under the luxury tax line of $200.4 million. The first apron sits at $209.0 million and the second apron at $221.7 million.

The fit

Baker had no NBA line last season, a rookie center yet to play in a regular-season game. Atlanta's center minutes last season belonged to Onyeka Okongwu, who averaged 31.0 minutes and 15.2 points, and Kristaps Porziņģis, who played 24.3 minutes for 17.1 points. The Hawks' broader rotation ran through Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, CJ McCollum and Trae Young, all logging at least 28 minutes a night. Atlanta now carries 22 players on its roster, against a standard limit of 15 plus three two-way spots.

Why did William Baker leave the Hawks roster?

The reason is not announced. The move was detected from the official roster on Friday, September 18, and no report preceded it.

What is William Baker's contract worth?

His contract is not on file yet. Public salary data can lag a signing by a day.

By the Hawks Nightly Desk, from the data on this page, rewritten when the data changes. How the desks work.
No contract on file yet: public salary data usually catches up within a day.

Hawks rotation

tracker →
Jalen Johnson35.2 min · 22.5 pts
Nickeil Alexander-Walker33.4 min · 20.8 pts
Dyson Daniels33.2 min · 11.9 pts
Onyeka Okongwu31.0 min · 15.2 pts
CJ McCollum29.8 min · 18.7 pts
Luguentz Dort26.8 min · 8.3 pts

Moves are detected from the official rosters, so the mechanism (trade, signing, waiver claim, two-way conversion) comes from the linked report when there is one. Salary figures are cap hits from public salary data.