Hawks Reportedly Sign Center N’Faly Dante

Center N'Faly Dante was a March Madness standout for the Oregon Ducks in college (Image via David Becker/AP Photo)
​By: Lucas Kochevar

The Atlanta Hawks have filled their last roster spot with center depth as they’ve reportedly sign N’Faly Dante to a two-year contract worth $4.5 million. The deal is an offer sheet as Dante is a two-way restricted free agent. This means the Rockets have a chance to match, but due to their finances at this moment, that seems unlikely. Dante was a fixture in the G-League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers as he averaged 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. 

Dante played college ball at Oregon for two seasons. He suffered a torn ACL his freshman year, but returned to form his sophomore year as he put up 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds on 65.6% shooting. He ended up playing five seasons with the Ducks, using the Covid year for a second senior season. In his final season with the Ducks, he averaged 17 points and 9.2 rebounds on 69.5% shooting. He went undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, but signed the two-way contract with the Rockets afterwards. Dante has only played 51 total minutes at the NBA level, where he’s averaged six points and five rebounds. Dante is a more traditional center as he plays down low on offense and he's a strong defender, but he can't shoot at all, as of right now.

Dante likely slots in as the third center, but will have a chance to play due to the uncertainty around the health of the frontcourt. The Hawks frontcourt is clogged with talent, but they needed insurance. Power forward Jalen Johnson hasn’t played a fully healthy season yet and he's coming off a season-ending injury. Center Onyeka Okongwu finally broke through as the starting center last season, but he hasn’t started a full season yet. Kristaps Porzingis was the biggest acquisition for the offseason, but he’s only played over 60 games once over the past six seasons. Although Dante likely won’t have a big role for this season, there will be times he could get run if the guys listed above don’t play. The signing is a low risk, high reward move that could pay dividends down the road if he manages to break out at any point over the next two seasons. ​