The Toronto Raptors have a long track record of taking undervalued players and developing them into starters and rotation players that end up having long NBA careers. One such former player, supersized guard Dalano Banton, has somehow found himself at the end of his NBA rope and will not be on an NBA team to start the season.
Banton's start in the NBA came with a unique piece of history: the Toronto native became the first Canadian player to be drafted by the Raptors when they selected him with the 46th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The 6'9" point guard joined the team and spent two seasons as a reserve, popping in and out fo the back-end of the rotation.
The Raptors ultimately moved on, and after a brief stint in Boston he caught on with the Portland Trail Blazers. It was there that his game took off, and in 30 games to close the 2023-24 season he averaged 16.7 points per game and 4.8 rebounds in a large role for a tanking Portland team.
It appeared to be the breakout that Banton needed to establish his NBA career. He was a very different kind of player from top draft pick Scoot Henderson at the point guard position, making him an ideal backup. While Banton's lack of a 3-point shot hindered his upside, his size and skill fit right into the organization's vision of building jumbo lineups with a high defensive ceiling.
Dalano Banton's career is hanging by a thread
Last season in Portland, however, things never clicked for Banton. His efficiency plunged, his minutes went down, and a team that lacked shooters couldn't field the right kind of lineups around him on the backup unit. This summer the Blazers moved on.
That could have been an opportunity for Banton to find a new home, but as the summer moved on there was not a guaranteed contract to be found. An influx of draft talent and an increase in teams leaving open roster spots for tax reasons meant Banton was left standing when the music stopped.
The Dallas Mavericks brought him into camp on a non-guaranteed contract with the expectation that they would waive him and send him to their G League affiliate team. There remained the slim possibility that Banton could impress the team enough during camp and the preseason that he would bump off another player, but given the team's financial limitations they couldn't functionally afford to do so. Even if Banton outplayed Dante Exum, for example, the Mavericks couldn't afford to waive Exum and sign Banton.
To the G League he goes, hoping to dominate at a lower level to catch the eye of another NBA team. The path now involves a 10-day contract later in the season being parlayed into a full contract and a new home. To reach that goal, he will need to continue improving his outside shot and improving in how to leverage his size and length on defense to be a true difference-maker.
Most players picked in the second half of the second round don't make it even as far as Banton has; only a handful of players from each draft class carve out a multiyear career. Banton has had some explosive moments since leaving the Raptors, but not enough to secure a long-term contract.
Now his career is hanging by a thread as he is waived and will not be on an NBA team to start the year. The work continues for Dalano Banton.