Rockets quietly part ways with another piece of last year's roster

The Houston Rockets had a strong 2024-25 season, but they've turned over a lot of their roster anyway. Recently, they let another piece of last year's puzzle go.

Nobody should be too upset about roster churn here. The Rockets have made every effort to unambiguously improve the squad. Kevin Durant is going to revolutionize their 2025-26 title odds.

Still, Rockets fans have had to learn to say goodbye. Jalen Green will be missed dearly by some, and Dillon Brooks will be missed by most. Now, they'll part with another player - albeit a less significant one.

N'Faly Dante is heading to the Hawks.

Young Rockets big man finds new squad

The Hawks gave Dante a two-year, $4.5 million offer sheet.

Granted, the Rockets have until the end of the day to match the offer as of this writing. They won't. Houston is above the first apron hard cap. Dante might as well start apartment hunting in Atlanta now.

For some Rockets fans, this is non-news. Dante is a fringe NBA player.

What are they really losing here?

Former Rockets big man has shown some promise

Sure, Dante only played 4 games with the main roster in 2024-25. He did quite well with the time he had. Dante averaged 17.1 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per 75 possessions while shooting 76.9% from the field. He had a Box Plus/Minus (BPM) of 2.4.

Too small a sample size? Dante also thrived with the Rio Grande Vipers. In 31 games with the Rockets' G-League affiliate, he put up 16.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 75.0% from the field.

Sure, that isn't proof of Dante's NBA viability either. That doesn't exist. His time with the main roster was too short, and the competition in the G-League is inferior. Still, this is all evidence that Dante has NBA potential.

Should the Rockets have let him go?

Rockets have championship aspirations

It's a tough call.

One could make the case that Houston should have kept Dante and committed Clint Capela's salary slot to a guard. If Dante didn't look like a rotation-caliber big, they could have pursued someone near Capela's caliber on the buyout market midway through the year.

That said, it's a minor quibble. Dante is a drop coverage big man who almost exclusively dunks on offense. He may have upside, but it's untapped. The Rockets aren't likely to miss him as they pursue a 2025-26 championship:

Even if some of their fans might.