As expected, the Houston Rockets officially declined to match the two-year, $4.5-million offer sheet presented by the Atlanta Hawks to restricted free agent center N’Faly Dante. The news was first reported by HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
As a restricted free agent, Houston technically had the right to match the deal. However, the Rockets did not have enough room under the first-apron hard cap to do so, per Spotrac’s Keith Smith.
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So, not matching was a formality unless the Rockets made other moves to free up additional space beneath the hard cap. That did not occur, and per the NBA’s transaction log, Dante’s deal with the Hawks is now official.
Dante played with the Rockets last season under a two-way contract. A 6-foot-11 big man, Dante averaged 15.1 points (74.3% FG), 9.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game with Houston’s NBA G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers.
Now 23 years old, the Oregon product originally signed with Houston in 2024 as an undrafted free agent. He played only sparingly at the NBA level last season.
Houston’s current two-way players are JD Davison, Isaiah Crawford, and Kevon Harris. All were signed earlier in the 2025 offseason, which signaled a likelihood that Dante would head elsewhere.
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With three proven centers (Alperen Sengun, Steven Adams, and Clint Capela) all under contract with the Rockets for multiple seasons moving forward, there wasn’t much of a pathway for Dante to potentially earn minutes in Houston.
Interestingly enough, it’s the recent signing of Capela — who previously played for the Hawks — that may have opened up the Atlanta option to Dante.
More: Center N’Faly Dante, assistant coach Mike Moser set to leave Rockets
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: N’Faly Dante joins Hawks as Rockets decline to match free agency offer