ATLANTA — The Celtics and 76ers surprised many before the deadline by swinging a trade that sent guard prospect Jaden Springer between rivals in the middle of his rookie deal in an effective salary dump. While Springer’s arrival, carrying defensive promise and youth, drew most of the coverage and attention last month, Boston quietly made a corresponding move to maintain roster flexibility and save some tax money, trading Dalano Banton to Portland for a second-round pick almost certain to not convey.
“I wasn’t bummed,” Banton told CLNS Media on Wednesday before his Blazers faced the Hawks. “It’s the NBA, it’s the business side of things. You’ve gotta be able to push through things that come your way. We know how it is as players, so it’s nothing to be bummed about … it was a great opportunity (in Boston), great organization. Wish them the best and thank them for helping me prepare for my opportunity here.”
With Boston off — practicing between games in Atlanta — Banton started and unloaded one of his most dominant performances as a pro in a loss to the Hawks. He scored 31 points in 37 minutes, shot 13-for-23, hit five threes in 11 tries while posting five rebounds, nine assists and a pair of steals. In 22 games with Portland, he’s averaging 15.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists, shooting 43.2% from the field and 36.2% from three.
Scores of Blazers injuries, including to former Celtic Malcolm Brogdon, gave Banton free rein at the point guard position. An obvious factor in his big numbers. Between Boston and Portland, his minutes increased by 20 per game, he’s taking 11.3 more shot attempts each night and unloading over five threes after averaging 0.7 per appearance with the Celtics.
“He’s always been talented,” Derrick White said on Thursday. “A guy that can score the ball in many different ways. He’s getting a chance to show that for everybody else. It’s good to see him going out there, being aggressive and showing that world what he can do. The NBA is kind of tough, where you’re at, your role and your opportunity. He was always working hard and he was ready for it.”
“Not every situation is the same. Obviously, what we asked him to do here was not to do that, and obviously, whatever is his situation in Portland is, they’re asking him to do something like that. So you just gotta understand your role, understand your situation. He played well for us when he got his time and he’s playing well for them.”
The Celtics tried to find pockets, including a spot start at Philadelphia, to integrate Banton in a crowded back court and forward position after signing him to a two-year flier last summer. He participated in Summer League, showed up to Boston early to learn the offseason and how to screen more often playing off-ball. Early preseason results showed promise, but he struggled immensely to put the ball in the basket when the regular season began — shooting 37.3% from the field and 12.5% from three.
Former Toronto head coach Nick Nurse commented early this season how some days he looked great, and others not so much. Even his current head coach Chauncey Billups admitted this statistical output probably isn’t an accurate depiction on who Banton will be when Portland progresses in its rebuild. The Blazers have an opportunity to pick up his second-year team option ($2.2M) Boston initially received in the contract. He turns 25 next season.
“He’s a scorer,” Billups said. “Obviously, you guys are seeing him play with other guys that are real role players. So I don’t think this is Dalano, where he’s getting 28 and 30 and 26 (points), but he’s capable of doing that. Guys like him, when you have a full deck and you have everybody out there, you don’t have those type of opportunities, but he’s a guy that can come off the bench and get hot for you … it’s guys like that who sit on these benches for a long time that finally get an opportunity to show that they can play and that they belong, that’s exactly what he’s done. He’s been a pleasant surprise. He’s much better than I even thought he was. I’ve only coached against him a few times and those were spot minutes.”
Boston assigned him to Maine while they played in Atlanta on Tuesday, and he scored 26 points on 11-for-18 shooting (1-2 3PT). While he brings more defensive promise the Celtics might’ve liked the idea of utilizing in small playoff situations, he brings less size and positional versatility than Banton did at 6-8.
It’s too early to say if dumping the latter will cost Boston, more focused on its championship pursuit than the long haul, but it could provide some warning against moving on from a young player too soon. Aaron Nesmith emerged in a similar manner at Indiana and the Celtics never filled their 15th roster spot.
“I don’t know if I agree that every player can play like that (with opportunity),” Kristaps Porzingis said on Thursday. “Dalano definitely has the talent. A lot of it is confidence, knowing that if you make two mistakes in a row, you’re not gonna come out. It’s not that high pressure team. Here, he has a little bit more freedom, I think. That gives him the confidence to go out there, try new stuff, be aggressive and he has the talent to do these kind of things and have these kind of games. So it’s definitely good to see him happy and enjoying basketball like this, and just playing free.”
