The Celtics are signing Dalano Banton and John Tonje to Ten-Day contracts, upping their total number of rostered players to 14.
And, if both of those names sound familiar, it’s because they are.
John Tonje was recently added to the Celtics’ roster on a two-way contract with Boston after being acquired ahead of the trade deadline (in the cost-cutting move that sent Chris Boucher to the Utah Jazz).
Dalanto Banton, meanwhile, returns to Boston after spending most of the past two years with the Portland Trail Blazers. Banton was initially on the Celtics team that won the NBA title in 2024, but he was traded to Portland ahead of the trade deadline and finished out the year with the Trail Blazers.
Let’s take a look at each player, what they could bring to Boston – and why the Celtics made these moves.
First – why did the Celtics sign two players to Ten-Day contracts?
As most readers probably know, the Celtics got below the luxury tax line ahead of the trade deadline, after trading Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Nikola Vucevic, and salary-dumping Chris Boucher (to the Utah Jazz), Xavier Tillman (to the Charlotte Hornets), and Josh Minott (to the Brooklyn Nets).
But, they also only had 12 players on the roster, and teams can only carry fewer than 14 players for up to 14 days at a time – and fewer than 28 total days.
So, on February 19th, the Celtics had no choice but to add two players. In March, they can go back to 12 players in order to stay below the tax line, but eventually they’ll have to carry a full, 14-player roster again.
Utilizing ten-day contracts allows the Celtics remain below the tax – something that multiple people around the team have stressed is not a mandate from ownership.
What Dalano Banton brings to the Celtics
Banton has played for six different NBA teams since being drafted 46th overall in 2021. He’s a 6’8 guard who can score in a variety of ways, but has never been particularly efficient (for his career, Banton has shot 40.3% from the field and 30.4% from three-point range).
But his shooting has trended upwards of late, and he’s had several pretty successful stints in recent years.
Banton spent the first two years of his career with the Toronto Raptors, who drafted him, before joining the Celtics. That season, he appeared in 24 games for the Celtics, averaging 7 minutes a night as a member of the Stay Ready crew.
He was traded to Portland at the midseason trade deadline, where he almost immediately began playing the best basketball of his professional career, averaging 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in Portland for the remainder of that season.
Amid that hot stretch in 2024, Derrick White praised Banton’s play.
“He’s always been talented,” White said. “A guy who can score the ball in many different ways. He’s getting a chance to show that for everybody else. It’s good to see him going out there, being aggressive, and showing the world what he can do. The NBA is kind of tough, where you’re at, your role, and your opportunity. He was always working hard – and he was ready for it.”
Banton returned to the Trail Blazers last season and was once again in the rotation, but with a more reduced role, averaging 8.3 points and 2.4 assists in 16.7 minutes per game.
This year, he is having a standout season in the G League, averaging 23.7 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.4 rebounds for the Texas Legends, the Dallas Mavericks’ G League affiliate. He signed one ten-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers on February 8th, and appeared in two games (totalling 10 minutes) ahead of the All-Star break.
Now, Banton returns to Boston, where he still has fans almost two years later. The former Nebraska star will reunite with Joe Mazzulla and the rest of the Celtics coaching staff – as well as several old teammates from the Celtics’ championship team: Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, and Jordan Walsh.
With Anfernee Simons no longer on the roster, Banton could serve as an emergency ball-handler for the Celtics in the wake of injury. He’s also someone the Celtics know and trust won’t be a negative in the locker room, something that Brad Stevens has routinely stressed is critical.
Newly-acquired two-way player John Tonje also gets a Ten-Day
John Tonje, who was drafted 53rd overall in June, has been a standout for the Salt Lake City Stars this season, averaging 18 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.
That came on the heels of a big-time NCAA Tournament run with the Wisconsin Badgers, in which he averaged 19.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Before Wisconsin, he spent four seasons at Colorado State and one year in Missouri.
And before that? Tonje was teammates with Baylor Scheierman, playing for the since-shuttered Omaha Sports Academy.
In two games since arriving in Maine, Tonje is averaging 25 points and 5.5 rebounds, shooting 42.5% from the field.
What Banton and Tonje’s futures hold in Boston remains to be seen, but both guards have the opportunity to play on the second-best team in the Eastern Conference.
