The Trail Blazers are reportedly set to extend Dalano Banton’s contract, which would pay him $2.2 million over a year.
Blazers Rumored To Extend Dalano Banton’s Contract
After a terrific season with the Blazers that saw him average 16.7 points per game while in Portland, the Blazers will likely extend the contract of Dalano Banton for a year. The Blazers received Banton as part of a trade with the Boston Celtics. They received a top-55 protected 2027 second-rounder in exchange for the third-year guard.
Expectations from the Portland fan base regarding Banton were minimal. Up to his arrival at Moda Center, he averaged a career 3.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. He was nothing more than a journeyman doomed to warm benches and provide depth. Throughout his entire three years in the NBA, Banton started four games of 119 appearances.
However, Portland was in a very difficult situation. Although they had no playoff ambitions at all, they struggled heavily with injuries. In the game that Banton debuted in, a 93-84 loss to the Pels, Portland was missing Malcolm Brogdon, Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and several other bigs. It made sense that the Blazers would need to organize an emergency deadline-day trade to avoid pressure on their healthy guards and field a competitive roster.
Banton Breaks Out
Their injury dilemma, paired with the Blazers’ free-flowing offense, allowed Banton to get a lot more minutes and take a lot more shots. His shooting splits, minutes per game, and scoring greatly improved throughout the season. His highlights included a 31-5-9 performance in a loss to Atlanta, a 30-point explosion in a loss to Houston, and a 25-point win over his former squad Toronto. With Portland, Banton is averaging 16.7 points on 42-34-78 shooting, along with 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. It looked like Dalano Banton, the journeyman who bounced from Canada to Massachusetts to Oregon, was deserving of a contract extension.
His great performances have reportedly earned him a contract extension. Per Toronto Star reporter Libaan Osman, the Blazers are expected to exercise the team option embedded in his contract.
“I think everyone wants the chance to show what they can do and make a name for themselves,” said Banton. “I just looked at it that way,” Banton told Osman ahead of the Blazers’ 82-121 loss to the Kings. “I’ve been sitting on the bench for three years in this league, I know that time was of the essence in my third year,” said Banton.
After all, why wouldn’t the Blazers extend Dalano Banton’s contract? He takes up just 1.5% of the Blazers’ cap space, per Sportrac.com. They also have the golden opportunity to retain a young, exciting core entering the 2024/25 season. That includes a draft pick that has a 47% chance of ending up in the top four. Although the Blazers are firmly a rebuilding team, by exercising Banton’s team option, they can speed up that rebuild and save a lot of time.
“Just stay the course. I mean, everyone has a different story,” Banton told The Athletic in an exclusive interview. “Everyone has a different way around the league and how it turns out for them. But I’m just trusting the work that you put in. But that’s it, man, just gotta keep grinding. Keep grinding.”
More must-reads: