Atlanta Hawks Waive Charles Bassey, Elevate N’Faly Dante Amid Injury Concerns

The Atlanta Hawks are heading into the 2025-2026 NBA season with high expectations, particularly around players like Jalen Johnson, who is predicted to be the team's MVP and potentially make an All-NBA team, and Kristaps Porzingis, expected to provide strong offense and defense when healthy. The team finalized a 14-player roster for opening night, waiving Charles Bassey and Lamont Butler, with N’Faly Dante positioned as the third-string center and a key rotational player due to Porzingis’s injury history. Bassey, despite a strong preseason performance, was waived to meet roster and salary cap requirements and is currently seeking a new team, with unlikely prospects for joining the Boston Celtics, who are managing their own roster and luxury tax considerations. Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons could indirectly benefit from the Hawks' roster moves, as they have an opening for a guard due to injuries and investigations affecting their current players, making former Hawks pick Kobe Bufkin a potential candidate to fill the void. The Celtics themselves are in a transitional phase, balancing luxury tax penalties and player health, with Jayson Tatum's limited return shaping their short-term strategy amid a less competitive Eastern Conference landscape. These developments reflect strategic roster management and player development efforts as teams prepare for a dynamic NBA season.