The Celtics have signed Dalano Banton to a ten-day contract, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto first reported.
Banton returns to Boston after spending most of the past two years with the Portland Trail Blazers. He was initially on the Celtics team that won the NBA title in 2024, but he was traded to Portland ahead of the trade deadline and finished out the year with the Trail Blazers.
Dalano Banton returns to Boston after bouncing around the NBA
The 26-year-old Banton has played for six different NBA teams since being drafted 46th overall in 2021. He’s a 6’8 guard who can score in a variety of ways, but has never been particularly efficient (for his career, Banton has shot 40.3% from the field and 30.4% from three-point range).
However, his shooting has trended upward lately, and he has had several fairly successful stints in recent years.
Banton spent the first two years of his career with the Toronto Raptors, who drafted him, before joining the Celtics. That season, he appeared in 24 games for the Celtics, averaging 7 minutes a night as a member of the Stay Ready crew.
He was traded to Portland at the midseason trade deadline, where he almost immediately began playing the best basketball of his professional career, averaging 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in Portland for the remainder of that season.
Amid that hot stretch in 2024, Derrick White praised Banton’s play.
“He’s always been talented,” White said. “A guy who can score the ball in many different ways. He’s getting a chance to show that for everybody else. It’s good to see him going out there, being aggressive, and showing the world what he can do. The NBA is kind of tough, where you’re at, your role, and your opportunity. He was always working hard – and he was ready for it.”
Banton returned to the Trail Blazers last season and was once again in the rotation, albeit with a reduced role, averaging 8.3 points and 2.4 assists in 16.7 minutes per game.
This year, he is having a standout season in the G League, averaging 23.7 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.4 rebounds for the Texas Legends, the Dallas Mavericks’ G League affiliate. He signed one ten-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers on February 8th, and appeared in two games (totalling 10 minutes) ahead of the All-Star break.
Now, Branton returns to Boston, where he still has fans almost two years later. The former Nebraska star will reunite with Joe Mazzulla and the rest of the Celtics coaching staff – as well as several old teammates from the Celtics’ championship team: Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, and Jordan Walsh.
With Anfernee Simons no longer on the roster, Banton could serve as an emergency ball-handler for the Celtics in the wake of injury. He’s also someone the Celtics know and trust won’t be a negative in the locker room, something that Brad Stevens has routinely stressed is critical.
The Celtics are required to carry 14 players on their roster as of February 19th, and will need to add another player on Thursday in order to adhere to that requirement. Utilizing ten-day contracts will allow them to stay below the luxury tax, if they so choose.