Dalano Banton Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Stein’s Latest: Connaughton, Knicks, Mazzulla, Curry, Mavs

October 20th, 2025 at 11:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Charlotte’s decision to release Spencer Dinwiddie — after signing the veteran guard to a guaranteed minimum-salary contract over the summer — surprised some people around the NBA, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).

There was some speculation that the Hornets might waive Pat Connaughton instead, but Stein hears the team decided to keep the veteran wing because he’s popular in the locker room and has championship experience. Another key factor: the Hornets remain cautiously optimistic they might be able to use Connaughton’s $9.4MM expiring contract in a trade before February’s deadline, Stein writes.

Here’s more from Stein:

The Knicks attempted to speak to several employed head coaches when they were looking for a replacement for Tom Thibodeau, but all of their formal requests were denied. According to Stein, there have been rumblings that New York also informally explored the possibility of trying to pursue Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, which obviously went nowhere — a month after the Knicks hired Mike Brown, Mazzulla signed an extension with Boston. While the Celtics vaguely referred to Mazzulla’s agreement as a multiyear extension, Stein hears the 37-year-old likely received a six-year contract.
There’s zero doubt that the Warriors will eventually re-sign Seth Curry — the only question is when, says Stein. While Golden State could technically bring Curry back on November 11, waiting a bit beyond that date would give the Warriors more breathing room below their second apron hard cap, and they are believed to be considering that path, per Stein.
The Mavericks waived NBA veterans Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Dalano Banton and Dennis Smith Jr. on Friday. Their G League affiliate — the Texas Legends — controls the returning rights of Robinson-Earl and Banton, and Dallas expects both players to open the season with the Legends, according to Stein. The Mavs are also optimistic that Smith with play for the Legends, but Stein points out that the former lottery pick’s rights are currently held by the Wisconsin Herd — an NBGL trade between Wisconsin and Texas would need to occur for that to happen. Banton was on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Mavs (Robinson-Earl and Smith were on Exhibit 9s), so he’s the only player of the group who will receive a bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Legends.

Mavericks Release Banton, Robinson-Earl, Smith

October 17th, 2025 at 3:48pm CST by Rory Maher

The Mavericks have requested waivers on Dalano Banton, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Dennis Smith Jr., the team announced today (Twitter link).

All three NBA veterans were on non-guaranteed contracts for training camp. Banton’s deal contained both Exhibit 9 and Exhibit 10 language, meaning he’s now eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he reports to the Texas Legends and spends at least 60 days with Dallas’ G League affiliate.

Robinson-Earl and Smith, meanwhile, were on Exhibit 9 deals, protecting the Mavs in the event of an injury to either player, which thankfully did not occur.

Banton was the 46th overall pick in the 2021 draft and has played in 216 regular season games for Toronto, Boston and Portland over the past four seasons. In ’24/25, he made a career-high 67 appearances, averaging 8.3 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .391/.324/.728.

The Canadian guard looked like a relative long shot to make Dallas’ roster, given that he was signed a week after training camp had gotten underway.

Robinson-Earl, a 6’9″ forward/center, was also selected in the second round of 2021 (32nd overall) and has appeared in 197 regular season contests for Oklahoma City and New Orleans over the past four seasons. In ’24/25, he averaged 6.3 PPG and 4.8 RPG in a career-best 66 games (18.8 MPG) for the Pelicans, posting a shooting slash line of .455/.341/.836.

Robinson-Early had by far the largest role of the three players during preseason, appearing in all four games for the Mavs while averaging 7.3 PPG and 4.0 MPG in 12.2 MPG.

Despite being out of the NBA last season, Smith is undoubtedly the most familiar face for Mavs fans. Dallas selected the 6’2″ guard No. 9 overall back in 2017, but wound up trading him to New York during his second season as part of the Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster.

Smith has developed into a strong point-of-attack defender, but has struggled to score efficiently throughout his seven-year career. He drew praise from head coach Jason Kidd multiple times during training camp.

The moves seemingly indicate that the Mavs intend to keep guards Dante Exum and Brandon Williams on their standard roster. Exum’s minimum-salary contract is fully guaranteed, but he has dealt with a right knee injury during training camp and preseason and could miss extended time.

While Williams’ deal is only partially guaranteed for $200K in 2025/26, Dallas has been encouraged by the 25-year-old’s development over the past couple seasons, having promoted him from a two-way deal at the end of ’24/25.

The Mavs now have 18 players under contract.

Dante Exum Sidelined By Right Knee Soreness

October 11th, 2025 at 7:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks guard Dante Exum is dealing with pain in his right knee that has limited his availability in practice and caused him to miss his second straight preseason game tonight, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

In a pregame meeting with reporters, coach Jason Kidd said the team is taking a cautious approach with Exum’s recovery. He indicated that Exum will be out for an extended period, but didn’t speculate on how long it might be. This is the first time anyone from the team has provided specifics on the injury that has affected Exum since training camp began.

Kidd added that the Mavs are taking a “long-term view” with Exum’s health and explained that the injury has “delayed his preparation for the start of the season,” tweets Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.

Injuries have been a career-long issue for Exum, who only appeared in 20 games last season due to right wrist surgery and a broken left hand. He was still an effective player when healthy, making 13 starts and averaging 8.7 points and 2.8 assists in 18.6 minutes per night.

Exum reached an agreement in early July to re-sign with the team on a one-year, minimum-salary contract. The deal wasn’t finalized until September 1 because Dallas had to open a roster spot and clear up room under its second apron hard cap. That happened when the Mavs waived and stretched former first-round pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper in late August.

Dallas had been hoping for better health from the 30-year-old combo guard, as Kyrie Irving is still recovering from a torn ACL and his return date remains uncertain. In addition, Brandon Williams is dealing with a hamstring strain he suffered early in training camp.

If Exum’s absence appears to be prolonged, it could improve the chances for Dalano Banton (Exhibit 10 contract) or Dennis Smith Jr. (Exhibit 9 deal) to earn a roster spot.

Mavericks Sign Dalano Banton To Exhibit 10 Contract

October 7th, 2025 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

12:51 pm: It’s an Exhibit 10 deal for Banton, confirms Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.

10:43 am: The Mavericks have signed free agent swingman Dalano Banton, the team announced today (via Twitter). In order to create room on the roster for Banton, Dallas waived camp invitee Matthew Cleveland, whose contract was fully non-guaranteed.

While details of Banton’s deal aren’t yet known, it will likely be non-guaranteed too, with Exhibit 9 and perhaps Exhibit 10 language.

Banton, who will turn 26 next month, was the 46th overall pick in the 2021 draft and has played in 216 regular season games for Toronto, Boston, and Portland over the past four seasons. In 2024/25, he made a career-high 67 appearances, averaging 8.3 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .391/.324/.728.

Banton reportedly auditioned for multiple NBA teams this summer, including Golden State and Indiana, while also drawing overseas interest.

It’s possible Banton will have an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Mavericks’ regular season roster, battling with Brandon Williams ($200K partial guarantee) and Dennis Smith Jr. (non-guaranteed contract) to become the club’s 15th man. However, given that he’s being added to the preseason roster a week after training camp got underway, that might be a long shot.

If Banton’s deal does include an Exhibit 10 clause, he would be a candidate to join the Texas Legends, the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, assuming he’s waived in the next couple weeks. That could put him in position to earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 with the Legends while making his case for a promotion to the NBA.

Greek Team Considers Signing Dalano Banton

September 20th, 2025 at 3:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Greek team Olympiacos is eyeing free agent guard Dalano Banton, according to Sotiris Vetakis of SDNA.gr (hat tip to Sportando).

Banton appeared in 67 games with the Trail Blazers last season, including seven starts. The 6’8″ guard/forward averaged 8.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 16.7 minutes per game. He also had stints with Toronto and Boston after being drafted in the second round by the Raptors in 2021.

However, Banton has received a cool reception in the free agent market this offseason. Marc Stein recently reported that the 25-year-old has received interest from numerous teams overseas but continues to seek an NBA opportunity. He has auditioned for multiple NBA teams, including the Warriors and Pacers, but hasn’t been able to secure an offer he likes.

Overall, Banton has made 216 NBA appearances, averaging 6.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 14.5 minutes per game. His subpar perimeter shooting (30.4 percent on threes) is a key reason why he’s struggled to secure another contract.

Stein’s Latest: Banton, Love, Warriors, NBA Europe, Bonga

September 15th, 2025 at 5:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Dalano Banton has received interest from teams overseas but continues to seek an NBA opportunity after spending the past season-and-a-half in Portland, Marc Stein writes for The Stein Line (Substack link).

According to Stein, Banton has recently auditioned for multiple NBA teams, including the Warriors and Pacers, though Indiana decided to pass on him.

Banton, who was traded from the Celtics to the Trail Blazers at the 2024 deadline, has since appeared in 97 games for Portland, averaging 10.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 20.6 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .399/.319/.751. He has been an unrestricted free agent since his contract expired on June 30.

Here’s more from Stein:

The Jazz and Kevin Love have yet to engage in serious discussions about a buyout, per Stein. While it’s “widely known” that Love would like to play for a team closer to contention, it doesn’t sound as if he has a post-buyout spot lined up yet, Stein explains, so there has been no urgency to get out of his contract with Utah.
Stein reiterates that the expectation around the NBA is that veteran free agents Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II will sign with the Warriors once Jonathan Kuminga‘s situation is resolved. According to Stein, the latest round of negotiations between the Warriors and Kuminga has “sparked some fresh optimism” that both he and those other vets will be signed prior to the team’s media day on September 29.
After FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa predicted that the NBA’s new European league could tip off in 2027, Stein says his own reporting suggests Garbajosa’s timetable may not be exact but also isn’t far off.
Although Isaac Bonga‘s NBA exit clause for 2025 expired, he drew interest from a few teams earlier in the summer, according to Stein, who says Bonga committed to spending the coming season with Partizan Belgrade after not getting a concrete offer from any of those clubs. Stein anticipates Bonga will receive more serious NBA interest next offseason.

Northwest Notes: Filipowski, George, Collier, D. Jones, Doncic, Vezenkov, Blazers

November 18th, 2024 at 11:29am CST by Earnest Marshall

Rookie center Kyle Filipowski‘s play continues to be one of the brightest spots of the Jazz‘s season so far, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. After claiming a starting role last week, Filipowski continues to pass test after test against some of the NBA’s best.

Filipowski is being targeted defensively in his rookie season, but he has responded admirably and recorded three steals against the Kings on Saturday.

“I guess that’s how it is for rookies, especially rookies that stand up to that sort of thing,” Filipowski said. “I gotta pull my big boy pants on, you know, and not back down from that challenge.”

The No. 32 pick in this year’s draft is averaging 7.9 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 55.2% from the field. In his past five games, including three starts, he has increased those averages to 12.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Keyonte George was benched in the second half of the Jazz‘s Sunday game against Los Angeles, Larsen writes in a separate story. Coach Will Hardy was clear about his reasoning after the game: “I wasn’t happy with Keyonte’s defense in the first half. Keyonte knows how much I believe in him, but sometimes you have to make changes in the moment to reinforce your point.” George played with the second unit and ended up playing the final 19 minutes of the game. He didn’t seem to be phased by the change after the game, Larsen writes. “Urgency levels should be at an all-time high no matter what — but we’re all humans,” George said. “I don’t know if you have a boss, but if they say you should take a break, when you come back you’re going to be on your Ps and Qs.” He’ll need to continue to improve on his decision-making, Larsen opines.
In George’s place, rookie guard Isaiah Collier started the second half and established career highs in minutes (26) and assists (8). Larsen writes in the same piece that Collier has been the Jazz‘s only true point guard and while he’s only getting to his own shot by beating the opposition in fast break situations (he’s shooting 11.1% from three), he’s helping the offense by taking care of the ball. “We know who our scorers are, we know where the ball needs to go,” Collier said. “Doing those little things, it definitely helped us int he second half.” The No. 29 overall pick in 2024 is averaging 4.3 PPG and 2.7 APG this year.
Thunder No. 26 overall pick Dillon Jones set career highs in points (12), minutes (15) and assists (3) on Sunday in a loss to Dallas. The Weber State product made all but one of his six shot attempts. Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had nothing but praise for the first-round rookie, according to the Thunder’s Nick Gallo (Twitter link). “He’s getting his feet work, getting more comfortable… He’s doing a great job,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He’s keeping his head. He’s getting better. That’s all you can ask for.“
The Nuggets were close to trading up for Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic in the 2018 draft, former Denver Post writer Mike Singer said on Brian Windhorst’s Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to RealGM). “The Nuggets knew that Vlade Divac was not particularly high on Luka Doncic,” Singer, now an employee of the Nuggets, said. “And they had designs on pairing Nikola Jokic with Luka Doncic. On draft night in 2018, they tried. There was a call placed. There was a proposal and the Nuggets attempted to get the No. 2 pick for Gary Harris and two first round picks was what I was told. You can roll your eyes at that price tag, but look in retrospect. The Kings ended up taking Marvin Bagley with the No. 2 pick. I’m not saying this trade was imminent. All I’m saying is this trade was discussed and considered because the Nuggets knew Vlade Divac was not particularly high on Luka Doncic and they tried to exploit it.”
The Nuggets also previously tried to acquire Sasha Vezenkov in 2016, the former Kings forward said in a podcast, per a report from Eurohoops.net. “Jokic called me back in 2016, way before he became a three-time MVP,” Vezenkov said. “Back then, he wasn’t a superstar. He told me the Nuggets wanted me. They were signing European players. But I hesitated. I was an insecure 20-year-old. After playing in Europe, they lost interest. I don’t think about it a lot, but I often wonder what could have been.” Vezenkov made his NBA debut last year for Sacramento, but he was traded and then bought out in the offseason as he decided to head back overseas.
After a 45-point loss last week, the Trail Blazers restored good vibes by winning three in a row, Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report writes. Shaedon Sharpe has 65 points in his last two games, rookie Donovan Clingan is standing out, and bench players like Dalano Banton have played well during the streak.

Blazers Notes: Williams, Rebuild, Banton, G League Moves

November 6th, 2024 at 9:22am CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers center Robert Williams was available to suit up on Monday for the first time in nearly a year, having recovered from last season’s knee surgery and a hamstring injury he sustained during training camp. His last appearance in an NBA game occurred on November 5, 2023.

However, Williams didn’t get off the bench in New Orleans as Portland leaned on Deandre Ayton and Donovan Clingan to man the middle — the duo combined for 23 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks in their 48 minutes of action.

While it’s unclear whether Williams will crack Portland’s rotation going forward, it’s a safe bet he won’t play in both ends of a back-to-back set anytime soon, tweets Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report.

Highkin predicts Williams will be active on Thursday in San Antonio and, if he sees any action in that game, would be held out of Friday’s contest in Minnesota.

Here’s more on the Blazers:

The Thunder’s incredibly successful rebuild in recent years serves as an aspirational model for the Trail Blazers to try to emulate, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (subscription required). However, Fentress acknowledges that Portland’s apparent lack of a potential franchise player to build around puts them a step behind the 2020-22 Thunder, who won just 46 games across two seasons but were led a budding superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Traded from Boston to Portland in a salary-dump deal in February, swingman Dalano Banton made an impact down the stretch last season, had his team option picked up, and has now had 50% of his 2024/25 salary guaranteed. Banton continued to show on Monday that he deserves his spot on the Blazers’ roster, scoring 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, all in the fourth quarter, to help the team secure a win over the Pelicans. “I wasn’t expecting that,” Billups told reporters, including Fentress (subscription required). “But he’s one of those types of guys that when he gets a rhythm, he’s a really tough cover with his size and his skill set, his handle, and things like that. So, I was just happy to see him get going. I thought he fueled us.”
The Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix, has reacquired forward Alex Reese after he was waived by the Thunder, per the NBAGL transaction log. Reese suited up for the Remix last season and the team still controlled his returning rights.
The Remix also made a trade with the Windy City Bulls this week, acquiring the returning rights to former NBAers Frank Jackson and Daniel Oturu along with a 2025 international draft pick in exchange for the rights to center David Muoka (Twitter link). Muoka is the only one of those three players who is currently on a G League contract — Jackson and Oturu are playing in France and Turkey, respectively.

Raptors Push Back Bruno Fernando’s Guarantee Date

October 25th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract that Bruno Fernando signed with the Raptors in August initially included language stating that it would become fully guaranteed if the big man wasn’t waived on or before the first day of the regular season.

However, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links), the Raptors and Fernando agreed to amend his one-year deal when he made the opening-night roster. Rather than becoming guaranteed, the contract will remain non-guaranteed until the league-wide salary guarantee deadline in January.

If the terms of the deal had remained unchanged, Fernando would have locked in a $2,425,403 salary, while Toronto would have been on the hook for his full $2,087,519 cap hit.

Instead, the 26-year-old will earn $13,939 for every day he’s on the roster, with his full salary and cap hit becoming guaranteed if he remains under contract through at least January 7.

The Raptors had some leverage, since they could have waived Fernando if he hadn’t agreed to amend his contract, leaving him without even a partial guarantee. Now the team will have some flexibility in the first half with that 15th roster spot.

This sort of agreement is nothing new for Fernando, who began the offseason with Atlanta on a deal that called for his 2024/25 salary to become guaranteed if he wasn’t waived by June 29. He and the Hawks reached an agreement to move that date back to July 10, then pushed it back again to August 1. Atlanta waived him on July 30.

Fernando served as Jakob Poeltl‘s primary backup center in the first game of Toronto’s season on Wednesday, recording six points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes of action.

As our list of early salary guarantee dates shows, Fernando was the only player on a contract that called for his salary to become fully guaranteed if he made a regular season roster. However, Dalano Banton (Trail Blazers), Keon Johnson (Nets), and Jalen Wilson (Nets) had deals assuring them of partial guarantees for remaining under contract through opening night.

We’ll give it another day or two before updating our tracker to see if any reports trickle in indicating that one or more of those players amended their contracts like Fernando did, but for now our assumption is that Banton, Johnson, and Wilson locked in their respective partial guarantees.

Northwest Notes: Bates-Diop, Banton, Clingan, Murray, Westbrook

October 19th, 2024 at 5:51pm CST by Luke Adams

As our roster count page shows, the Timberwolves are the only one of the NBA’s 30 teams whose roster is not ready for the regular season after a busy day of transactions. Minnesota is still carrying 16 players on standard contracts, whereas the other 29 clubs have 15 or fewer players on standard deals.

The Wolves don’t need to finalize their opening night roster until Monday evening, but an absence at practice on Saturday provided a pretty strong hint about which direction they’re leaning, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who tweets that forward Keita Bates-Diop wasn’t in attendance and appears to be the odd man out.

Nothing’s official yet, but Bates-Diop was a throw-in for salary-matching purposes in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster, so it makes sense that he’s not in Minnesota’s plans. Removing him from the roster would allow the club to hang onto PJ Dozier, whose salary is partially guaranteed.

Still, since Bates-Diop’s $2,654,644 salary for 2024/25 is fully guaranteed, the Wolves are likely reluctant to simply waive him and eat that money, especially given how far over the luxury tax line they are. They may continue trying up until Monday’s deadline to find a taker for Bates-Diop on the trade market — they’d probably have to attach a second-round pick to make a deal.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Trail Blazers guard Dalano Banton is expected to make the team’s opening night roster, tweets Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report. Barring a last-minute surprise, Banton will see his partial guarantee increase from $217,533 to $1,098,485 as a result of starting the season with the team. The other half of his $2,196,970 salary would become guaranteed if he remains under contract beyond January 7.
Trail Blazers lottery pick Donovan Clingan had a big night in his first start of the preseason on Friday, Highkin writes for his Rose Garden Report Substack. The rookie center, who isn’t expected to play big minutes in a crowded Blazers frontcourt, racked up 14 points, four blocks, and an eye-popping 20 rebounds (10 offensive) in just 24 minutes of action, with Portland outscoring Utah by 30 points during that time. Head coach Chauncey Billups said Clingan is still adjusting to the speed of the NBA game, but praised the big man’s rebounding and rim protection. “Those two things, he’ll be pretty elite at,” Billups said. “He’ll only get better.”
Jamal Murray‘s performance in Thursday’s preseason finale likely calmed some nerves in Denver, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. After dealing with some knee pain and shooting just 32% from the floor through three preseason appearances, the Nuggets guard poured in 25 points in 29 minutes in Thursday’s victory, showing that he’s ready for the regular season after a tough 2024 postseason and Olympic Games.
In a column for The Denver Post, Sean Keeler examines what Denver is hoping to get this season from free agent addition Russell Westbrook, suggesting that the former MVP can be an important “agitator” for the Nuggets and help them play with more of an edge.