The Atlanta Hawks added to their rebuilt big man core today, reportedly signing N’Faly Dante who spent last season with the Houston Rockets after being undrafted in 2024.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype was the first to report the news:
N’Faly Dante is a 6’11”, 230-pound Malian international big man who was a former five-star high school recruit before attending Oregon. He showed growth throughout his five-year college career there, averaging 17.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.7 steals per game in his super senior season.
Dante only saw action in four NBA games after going undrafted last season, but he was a productive G League player for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers as noted above. He’s largely a just rim runner and short range putback big man on offense, but his size, strength, and agility allow him to affect the game on the glass and on defense.
In signing Dante in restricted free agency to a two-year deal, the Hawks will retain restricted free agency rights to him in the summer of 2027 as he will have yet to accrue four years of NBA service by then.