The mystery surrounding Dalano Banton’s future with the Portland Trail Blazers will be an intriguing storyline to watch unfold this offseason.
The 6-foot-9 guard/forward, acquired from Boston at the trade deadline for a future second-round pick, averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 30 games for the Blazers with eight starts.
He brought much-needed size to the court and the ability to create offense. Both attributes were greatly needed after regulars began losing numerous games to injuries.
Banton, who played just 7.1 minutes per game with the Celtics, said he greatly appreciated the opportunity he received with the Blazers.
“I can’t express how thankful I am towards the whole organization, just accepting me with open arms from day one,” Banton said. “Coming in, putting me in a position to be aggressive. Making sure I had everything I needed. I feel like I never missed a beat when I came here. Obviously, trying to get into the flow of things takes some time. But just treating me as if I’d been here since the beginning of the year, I felt accepted.”
But did he do enough to be retained for the 2024-25 season?
Banton, 24, has a club option remaining on his contract worth $2.2 million. For a franchise that has struggled to secure veteran depth and size, keeping Banton would appear to be a no-brainer.
According to an NBA source, there is certainly a chance the Blazers pick up the option on Banton. But the situation will likely remain fluid.
At the very least, Banton took advantage of the opportunity presented to him and likely helped his career.
“You’ve got to be open to what the situation is,” Banton said. “You’ve got to know the situation and you’ve got to take full advantage of it. I knew what I had here and I was able to do that.”
The Blazers have 13 players under contract for next season and two lottery picks to work with during the June NBA draft.
Also, there is a log jam at Banton’s positions. At guard, he must contend with Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Matisse Thubulle. At forward, the Blazers have Jerami Grant, Jabari Walker, Kris Murray, Rayan Rupert and Toumani Camara.
Banton spoke to the media after speaking with Blazers general manager Joe Cronin. When asked if he had been presented with clarity regarding his situation, Banton replied: “Even if I had an answer for that, I wouldn’t really give that answer.”
He then reiterated being thankful and added: “I’m sure they’ll do what’s best.”
One of the knocks against Banton has been his shooting. His career field-goal percentage is 40.9% and he shot 40.8% with the Blazers. From three-point range, Banton for his career (that includes two seasons with the Toronto Raptors) has shot 28.9%. He shot 31.1% with Portland.
However, that number was at 35.3% before Banton went 2 of 10 Friday against the Houston Rockets and followed up by going 0 of 15 in the team’s final game Sunday at Sacramento.
Banton said he never considered no longer shooting when it became clear that it just wasn’t his day. However, he said he recognizes that high-volume scoring is not his game.
“That’s not really what I want to do,” Banton said. “I want to be aggressive, make plays for others, use what I can to get downhill, open the floor, and obviously if it’s there for myself, take it and be aggressive.”
Should Banton, who said he hopes to play for the Canadian national team, not remain with Portland, he likely played well enough to receive an opportunity from another franchise.
“I just feel like there’s a lot of people in this league who are in my position, who never got the opportunity to play,” Banton said. “And when they do, they get the chance to show what they can do. So, I feel like that’s kind of for everybody. But yeah, definitely, I got to show what I can do.”
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)
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