The Portland Trail Blazers have officially moved on from polarizing guard Dalano Banton. He's ineligible for a two-way spot due to his NBA experience, and the Blazers filled out their 15-man roster when they signed Blake Wesley. Now Banton will have to pursue opportunities elsewhere, whether that means playing overseas or competing for another NBA roster spot.
NBA insider Marc Stein recently reported on The Stein Line that Banton has already received international interest, but is still trying to continue his NBA journey [subscription required].
"After stints with Toronto, Boston, and Portland, Dalano Banton continues to chase an NBA roster spot despite interest from teams abroad. Banton has auditioned recently for NBA teams such as Golden State and Indiana; I've been apprised that the Pacers passed," Stein wrote.
Dalano Banton's NBA future is in limbo
With a little over a month remaining until the start of the 2025-26 season, Banton's NBA options unfortunately continue to dwindle. If he is set on trying to continue playing in the NBA, he's likely going to have to earn a spot in training camp.
It could be an encouraging sign that Banton auditioned for the Warriors and they haven't passed on him yet, especially since they have six roster spots that still need to be filled. Golden State's entire offseason has essentially been put on hold with Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency, but that situation has to be resolved by October 1, which is when his qualifying offer expires. Stein notes that Al Horford, De'Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II are all expected to sign with the Warriors after the Kuminga situation is settled. The Warriors would still have room to sign Banton; they could use more backcourt scoring alongside Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski, as Melton and Payton are more defensive-minded additions.
Banton averaged 8.3 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.0 rebounds last season with the Blazers. His inefficiency was problematic, shooting 39.1% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc.
He's a ball-dominant guard, from whom the Blazers were right to move on, given their situation as a team that wants to open up backcourt opportunities for Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. But in terms of talent, it's easy to make a case for why Banton should continue to stick around in the NBA. He single-handedly won Portland a few games last season with his fourth-quarter heroics and is a good change-of-pace scoring option for teams to have in case their offense hits a wall.
Time will tell whether another NBA team takes a flyer on his jumbo guard skillset or if Banton has to continue his career overseas.