9:39pm: The Trail Blazers have officially acquired Banton and cash considerations from the Celtics for that heavily protected 2027 second-rounder, the teams confirmed in a pair of press releases.
2:26pm: The Celtics have agreed to trade guard Dalano Banton to the Trail Blazers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Boston will receive a top-55 protected 2027 second-round pick in the swap, so it’s essentially just a salary dump from the Celtics’ perspective.
Banton spent his first two NBA seasons with Toronto before signing with the Celtics last summer. Portland will hold a $2.2MM team option for the 24-year-old in 2024/25.
At 6’9″, Banton has terrific length for a guard, but he has struggled mightily with offensive efficiency, posting a career shooting line of .410/.254/.670, including just .373/.125/.800 in 24 games with Boston this season (7.1 minutes per night).
It’s unclear if Banton will be in the Blazers’ future plans, but they’ll be able to evaluate him for at least the rest of the season if they so choose.