Dalano Banton is heading to China for his first international contract, having signed with the Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin (Instagram link; hat tip to Dario Skerletic of Sportando).
After playing a career-high 67 games for the Trail Blazers in 2024/25, with whom he averaged 8.3 points and 3.4 assists in 16.7 minutes per game, Banton made just six appearances in the NBA last season, four for the Celtics and two with the Clippers. He signed 10-day deals with both teams before working out a rest-of-season contract with Boston during the final week of the regular season.
A 6’8″ guard, Banton spent a majority of last season with the Texas Legends, the Mavericks’ G League affiliate. He averaged 24.9 points and 6.9 assists in 44 games for the Legends. He holds career NBA averages of 6.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG and 2.0 APG on .401/.303/.732 shooting in 222 appearances (14.4 MPG).
As we relayed last month, Banton, 26, was said to be receiving interest from several EuroLeague teams, including Olympiacos, Besiktas, and multiple teams in Spain, before he opted to make the move to the Chinese Basketball Association.
Last season, Shandong rostered multiple ex-NBA players, including former No. 8 overall pick Marquese Chriss and Keyontae Johnson.