Former Boston Celtics guard Dalano Banton is headed to a new home. The Dallas Mavericks announced that they’d signed Banton to their roster on Tuesday, but did not disclose what type of contract was agreed upon.
For what it’s worth, the Mavericks currently have 15 players assigned to their roster, so they’d have to waive one of them in order to sign Banton permanently. He’s likely on an Exhibit 9 training camp deal as Dallas makes their way through the preseason.
The only way the Mavs could keep Banton without an additional roster move would be if the league granted them an additional slot in place of the injured Kyrie Irving, who tore his ACL earlier this year.
Dalano Banton will try to stick with the Mavs
After playing his first two NBA seasons with the Toronto Raptors, the Ontario native inked a multi-year deal with the Celtics. At the time, there was some excitement about the signing and Banton’s rotation potential as a lengthy playmaker.
That wasn’t the case.
Instead, Banton’s time in Boston was short-lived. The 25-year-old appeared in just 24 games for the Cs before he was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers at the 2024 trade deadline. There wasn’t much opportunity for him in Joe Mazzulla’s rotation. This wasn’t really unexpected, as the eventual champion Celtics were extremely deep in the 2023-24 season
Banton averaged just 2.3 points,1.5 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game for Boston.
His averages after the trade were far better, encouraging, even. The Nebraska alum poured in 16.7 points per game in his first half-season for the Blazers. Despite the scoring spike, Banton still struggled to get efficient buckets, shooting just 40.8% from the field and 31.1% from beyond the arc.
Those same struggles followed him through the 2024-25 campaign, while his scoring average dipped down to just 8.3 points per outing. Banton also saw his minutes dwindle as Portland favored other wings like Toumani Camara, Shaedon Sharpe, and Mattisse Thybulle.
He clearly didn’t fit into the team’s long-term plans after failing to carry over his post-trade momentum into year two.
If Banton is going to sneak onto Dallas’ 15-man roster, he’s got his work cut out for him. They’ve got solid depth at the guard spot, which is where he profiles most these days. If he does make the cut, he’ll be battling the likes of D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Williams, Dante Exam, and Jalen Hardy for rotation minutes.