N’Faly Dante’s restricted free-agent move to Atlanta is official after Houston declined to match a two-year, $4.5 million offer. Dante, 23, spent last season with Houston on a two-way deal and posted strong G League numbers (15.1 PPG on 74.3% FG, 9.8 RPG, 2.2 BPG, 1.0 SPG) with Rio Grande Valley. The Rockets’ hard-cap dynamics made matching unlikely, clearing the path for Atlanta’s bid. Capela’s recent signing with Houston is a surprising twist that may have opened the door for Dante to land in Atlanta, where his size and efficiency could translate into meaningful minutes backing a frontcourt rotation.

The Hawks land Dante amid a frontcourt landscape that includes Sharpshooting and rim protection expectations, while Houston stacks centers—Alperen Sengun, Steven Adams, and Clint Capela—keeping Dante without a clear minutes path. The Romeo-and-Juliet turn of Capela’s career, from Hawks to Rockets, is a key narrative thread that underscored Atlanta’s incentive to add Dante. The move shifts Dante from a two-way role to a full-time NBA rotation piece, with fantasy upside anchored in his G League efficiency and rebounding bursts.

For fantasy managers, Dante’s upside hinges on a clear route to minutes behind or alongside the Hawks’ core. Expect a role that mixes interior scoring, rebounding, and rim protection, with potential spikes in blocks and efficient finishing near the basket. The cap-space constraints that doomed Houston’s attempt to retain him also signal Atlanta’s commitment to a versatile, size-equipped lineup that could yield solid mid-round fantasy value if Dante locks in a steady workload.

N’Faly Dante, Oregon’s undrafted center, parlayed a G-League breakout into a two-year, $4.5 million offer from Atlanta. His Rio Grande Valley numbers—16-point-ish and near 10 boards per game—made him a tempting, low-cost lottery ticket for a Hawks team that needed interior depth after last season’s Rockets stop. The Rockets couldn’t match due to cap constraints, and Dante is now Atlanta-bound, a restricted free agent with clear development upside.

He’ll chase minutes behind Onyeka Okongwu, a task that will define his early NBA footprint. The deal is likely non-guaranteed for the second year, signaling Atlanta’s patience with young bigs and a plan to nurture Dante’s development while preserving future flexibility. Fantasy managers should weigh Dante as a potential late-round flier with meaningful growth if he earns bench minutes and fills a rebounding, efficient role in the Hawks’ frontcourt.

The Hawks’ move alsoVeter maps a broader cap context: Dante lands in a summer where Atlanta can be patient with roster decisions, while Houston’s cap position and two-way realities continue to shape their internal options. Dante’s G-League showcase and his eventual NBA path illustrate how dynamic development pipelines can translate into real NBA value in a league constantly seeking affordable, high-upside bigs.

Marco Belinelli, the Italian wing who spent 13 seasons in the NBA and carved out a storied role as a lethal bench shooter, has retired at 39. A Golden State draftee in 2007, Belinelli's career blossomed with the San Antonio Spurs, where he helped spark the 2014 title run by pouring in timely three-pointers and providing veteran poise off the bench. Across 13 seasons he averaged 9.7 points and shot 37.6% from three, a signature mark of his floor-spacing value. He closed his NBA chapter after the 2019-20 season, then continued his career in Italy with Virtus Bologna, cementing a lasting legacy as a dependable shooter who could swing games in bursts.

Belinelli’s journey touched many stops—Toronto, New Orleans (Hornets), Chicago, Spurs, Sacramento, Charlotte, Atlanta and Philadelphia—each adding layers to a career defined by shooting efficiency and playoff experience. For fantasy minds, his retirement isn’t a direct roster concern, but it underscores the enduring value of 3-and-D wings who can provide scoring bursts off the bench. His path also illustrates how European talents transition to the NBA and how that profile can influence the importance of floor-spacing in today’s lineups.

In a landscape that increasingly prizes 3-point gravity and bench versatility, Belinelli’s legacy serves as a reminder of the payoff from players who can space the floor, defend multiple positions, and answer the bell in big moments. The Spurs’ 2014 championship era remains a touchstone for bench-shooting efficiency, and Belinelli’s career offers a blueprint for evaluating similar players in fantasy leagues and in the international-to-NBA pipeline at large.

LaMelo Ball and Paolo Banchero headline a cohort of younger, injury-prone stars poised for a mega 2025-26 breakout as the veterans around them manage minutes and deal with back-to-backs. Ball’s upside sits in the top-five stratosphere if health cooperates and his supporting cast improves. Jalen Johnson and Jaden Ivey carry similar injury-bounce potential, while Tyrese Maxey, Brandon Miller and Jalen Suggs each enter seasons where a larger role could push them into elite fantasy tiers. Anfernee Simons surfaces as an honorable mention with new usage in Boston after a franchise shake-up.

Injuries reshaped the landscape last season, and the article leans into youth and opportunity over veterans who may be limited by rest or minutes. Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, Charlotte’s Brandon Miller, and Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson are all positioned to absorb and spark in more dynamic lineups. The narrative also nods to Desmond Bane and Franz Wagner in passing as benchmarks for breakout trajectories among rising stars. The overarching thread: players who navigated injuries should rebound in a busy 2025-26 season if they stay on the floor and find optimized roles on teams that have upgraded surrounding talent.

The 2025-26 season is approaching, and teams are distilled into one defining number that maps their ceiling and risk. Atlanta sits at the center of optimism: Dyson Daniels emerges as a potential breakout playmaker, and Jalen Johnson could push toward all-NBA territory if his health cooperates. That duo could unlock a top-tier ceiling in a conference that feels winnable with the right strides.

Boston faces a jarring disruption: Jayson Tatum out with an Achilles injury and a wholesale reshuffling of the frontcourt that leaves Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Chris Boucher, and Xavier Tillman to carry heft in the middle. The rotation shift challenges fantasy managers to gauge who benefits most from an expanded role and steadier minutes without their star. Brooklyn leans into youth, balancing rookie-heavy lineups with Cam Thomas’ looming usage; Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball carries a 35.9% usage pace, but durability and efficiency loom as critical question marks.

Across the league, threads of opportunity thread through injuries and turnover. Golden State can still win with Curry, but the post-deadline surge around Butler–Curry minutes matters for fantasy leverage. Houston’s isolation prowess appears solved with Durant orchestrating late-game offense, opening nights for shooters and off-ball threats. Oklahoma City’s continuity and depth fuel expectations for a repeat run. The 2025-26 canvas favors players who can soak up expanded roles, handle heavy usage, and sustain efficiency through training camp.