It s decided! Stone rejects a 2-year contract of 4.5 million, and the 24-year-old center bids farewell to the Rockets! Eastern Power Team finds a hole

On August 19, the Rockets lost another pretty good player, the 24-year-old center Enfalley Dent last season. In fact, the Rockets offered Dante a qualification offer for a two-way contract two months ago, but Dante is not staying with the Rockets now, because the Rockets have already signed Davidson, Isaiah Crawford and forward Kevin Harris with three two-way contract places, these three players who seem to perform better in the summer league.

Dente performed averagely in the Rockets' summer league and was injured in a game, which further strengthened the Rockets' idea of giving up on him. In fact, Dante's performance last season was pretty good, especially when he scored 10 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks and 1 assist against the Thunder in a single game. This data is very beautiful, and this was obtained within 15 minutes.

It can be said that Dante can not only get balls and baskets in the inside, but also grab rebounds and blocks. He is a tall, long and very stable big man. As a defensive center, Dante lacks shooting ability and independent offensive ability, as well as support ability and restraint ability in the inside. Therefore, Uduka, who has higher requirements for the Rockets' inside, naturally looks down on Dante, which is why Dante only played 4 games in the regular season last season. After signing Okogie, the Rockets no longer have salary space. If they sign another person, they will directly pay a higher-grade luxury tax. So now Dante has received a two-year, $4.5 million formal contract offer from the Hawks, and the Rockets did not match this offer today. According to NBA reporter Michael Scotto, the Hawks have officially signed Dante, a two-year contract of 4.5 million.

Rockets general manager Rafael Stone did not match the offer, so he let Dante go to the Hawks for vain. The Hawks later officially announced Dante's joining and released a welcome poster. The 24-year-old big man will play for the Atlanta Hawks, the Eastern Conference powerhouse next season.

Although the Rockets had previously issued a qualification offer for a two-way contract, the Rockets now have no place to sign Dante because the two-way contract is full. The Rockets can't match the 4.5 million contract issued by the Hawks, so the Rockets had to hand over Dante.

It can be said that this is a big loss. From a positive perspective, the Rockets have lost a very good and young defensive center; but from another perspective, this also proves how strong the Rockets' inside line is. They have three star centers, Shin Kyung, Capela and Adams. So even if Dante stays in the team, there is a 99% chance that he will play in the Development League for a long time next season. He has no chance to play in the Rockets' regular season or enter the main rotation lineup.

Dant is indeed capable, but he is about to be 25 years old, and his development space has basically been blocked. Therefore, the Rockets' current goal is to win at the moment. They will not give Dante such a contract, nor will they match the quotation of 4.5 million.

Let Dante go, the Rockets actually don't suffer much loss. After all, their three major centers will probably not be able to play time next season. If Dante signs again, it will obviously be a superfluous operation. There is no need at all. Manager Stone's decision is still very smart. The Hawks have also found a bargain. They signed an excellent defensive center with 4.5 million in two years, which is not a loss.