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Nebraska Basketball: Trail Blazers Pick Up Option for Former Husker Guard

Dalano Banton will have a chance to continue playing in Portland after his strong finish to the 2023-24 season.

Austin Jacobsen

Mar 18, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Dalano Banton (5) passes the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center.
Mar 18, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Dalano Banton (5) passes the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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The Portland Trail Blazers have given another chance to a former Nebraska basketball guard.

Dalano Banton's player option was picked up by the NBA franchise Saturday after being a trade deadline pickup by the Trail Blazers earlier this year. Banton will not have a fully guaranteed contract, as he can be an unrestricted free agent if his contract ends.

Banton was a key piece in the final stretch of this past season for the Trail Blazers, playing significant minutes in 30 games. The former Husker averaged nearly 17 points, five rebounds and four assists per contest.

The guard had been on the Boston Celtics roster prior to the NBA trade deadline in February, where he was sent from the eventual NBA champions to Portland for a protected second-round pick.

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Dalano Banton (45) controls the ball as Iowa Hawkeyes guard Ahron Ulis (4) defends.
Mar 4, 2021; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Dalano Banton (45) controls the ball as Iowa Hawkeyes guard Ahron Ulis (4) defends during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The CanadCanada native was the 46th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by his home country Toronto Raptors after spending two seasons, playing one, in Lincoln with Nebraska. He played in 27 games, starting 22, and averaged 9.6 points per contest while leading the Huskers in rebounds (5.9) and assists (3.9) per game.

In 2020, Banton recorded the second triple-double in Nebraska men's basketball history, scoring 13 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists in a victory over Doane.

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Austin Jacobsen

AUSTIN JACOBSEN

Austin Jacobsen is a radio broadcaster and former Sports Director in Central Nebraska. He has seen the Cornhusker state from all corners; growing up in the Panhandle, completing his college degree in Kearney, working in the rural Sandhills, and now residing in Omaha. Austin is a statewide, regional, and national radio award winner and can usually be found at a high school football field on Friday nights and tuning in to the Huskers wherever they travel. If he is not on the road, Austin enjoys movie dates with his girlfriend and their dog, Ava.

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