Should the Boston Celtics regret trading away point forward Dalano Banton to the Portland Trail Blazers? If you ask Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes, it is not just A regret, it ought to be their biggest of the 2023-24 NBA regular season to date.
“Banton’s statistical explosion in Portland is the … reason the Celtics might want that decision back,” writes Hughes. “Essentially a 6-foot-9 point guard who can defend multiple positions, Banton averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 29.2 minutes per game with the Blazers. Every second he logged in Portland came in zero-stakes games, and Banton didn’t exactly show out prior to the deadline with the Celtics.”
“But his impact after the trade suggests he might have had something to offer in the event Boston lost a key wing or guard to injury during the playoffs,” suggests the B/R analyst.
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If the deal ends up costing Boston a game (never mind a title), it’ll be one of the weirder outcomes of such a minor trade. But it’s hard not to look at how Banton has done since he left the Celtics and not feel a little buyer’s remorse.
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