The Portland Trail Blazers have four new faces on their 15-man roster: Yang Hansen, Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, and Blake Wesley. To clear roster space, Portland had to move on from key players from last year, including former starters Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton. Even Jabari Walker had a serviceable role as a catalyst off the bench with his rebounding and intangibles. But another player they quietly moved on from is Dalano Banton.
Dalano Banton's quiet Blazers exit
We say quietly because there hasn't been any news surrounding Banton. Blazers insider Sean Highkin suggested that Banton "might either have to go overseas or go to somebody's training camp on a prove-it deal" at this point.
If Banton does find his footing in the NBA, it won't be with the Blazers. Portland made it clear they were parting ways with Banton when they signed Wesley for the final roster spot. The Blazers have a final two-way spot alongside Caleb Love and Sidy Cissoko; however, Banton's NBA experience makes him ineligible.
Three former Blazers found landing spots that make sense. The Philadelphia 76ers landed an absolute steal by getting Walker on a two-way deal. Philadelphia added frontcourt depth as insurance for injury-prone superstar Joel Embiid. That recently became even more important as the 76ers found out they are tied for the most back-to-back games (16) in the 2025-26 season, and Embiid has already said he won't play consecutive nights.
The Los Angeles Lakers struggled in the playoffs without a reliable starting center, and finally got that in Ayton. He doesn't come without his flaws, but a two-year, $16 million deal is incredible value for the Lakers considering their desperation at the position and how vital a lob threat is for Luka Doncic's game.
What the Boston Celtics will ultimately do with Anfernee Simons regarding another potential trade remains to be seen. But even if Boston doesn't find enough value for Simons and decides to keep him around, that's still a great move by Brad Stevens to get under the second apron and turn Jrue Holiday into an expiring contract. Not to mention, Simons' ideal fit in Boston's three-point-heavy offense.
Why Portland moved on from Banton
We say all this because it's hard for Banton to find a spot like that that makes sense in terms of coming in and improving a team's situation or solving a clear problem. His role is that of a bucket-getter, but the modern NBA relies on much more than that. Scorers are the easiest thing to find; what's more difficult is finding two-way players who can contribute in multiple aspects.
Banton has had some impressive performances, where he took over in the fourth quarter, with Blazers analytics insider Tom Haberstroh calling him Portland's basketball closer. Although he's a solid scorer at 8.3 points per game last season, Banton is a polarizing player whose cons -- inefficiency and lack of playmaking -- appear to be too much for NBA teams to overlook.
He's at his best with a high usage rate, which teams can't justify in the NBA with how stagnant the offense is when he has the ball in his hands. Banton is the type of player who could thrive overseas because of this, but it's also why Portland quietly decided to move on.