Free agent guard Dalano Banton reportedly auditioned for the Indiana Pacers, but according to recent reports, they opted not to sign him (h/t Marc Stein of the Stein Line).
"After stints with Toronto, Boston and Portland, Dalano Banton continues to chase an NBA roster spot despite interest from teams abroad. Banton has auditioned recently for NBA teams such as Golden State and Indiana; I've been apprised that the Pacers passed," Stein wrote.
Banton most recently spent parts of the last two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers after they acquired him from the Boston Celtics during the 2023-24 season. However, he began his career with the Toronto Raptors, where he was notably teammates with current Pacers star Pascal Siakam for the first two years of his career.
The Canadian native is still without an NBA job even though the beginning of next season is roughly a month away. As Stein wrote, Banton is still interested in joining an NBA team sooner rather than later, but unless something changes, he is not going to find it in Indiana.
The Pacers still have a point guard problem to address
There is a lot to like about Banton. He is a six-foot-nine point guard who also has experience at the wing. Furthermore, he is very athletic and can be a solid defender at times. Unfortunately for him, he is already nearly 26 years old and has a very low ceiling.
The Pacers did not need the Nebraska alum, even though next season will be all about experimenting and seeing what works for when they get Tyrese Haliburton back. However, they still have a point guard concern that they will hope to fix sooner rather than later.
With Haliburton on the shelf for all of next season, the Pacers are expected to slide Andrew Nembhard over to the point full-time. Furthermore, T.J. McConnell will remain the team's primary backup point guard. This can work, but it is obvious that Indiana's point guard position is now much weaker, and they will need to add a third option to the fold at some point.
Right now, the most likely third point guard for Indiana is Kam Jones, and it is easy to see why. The Pacers landed him in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft, and he looked fantastic in Summer League, averaging 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.8 steals in three games. Furthermore, he shot 48.8% from the field during that stretch.
The Marquette alum provides a lot of intrigue and has the potential to contribute in every area of the game. He has some improvements he needs to make, particularly as a consistent three-point shooter, but there is a lot to like about his game. And, given that the team signed him to a standard contract, it seems that they feel the same way.
Indiana also has a couple of other intriguing point guards on two-way contracts in Quenton Jackson and RayJ Dennis. Each player showed promise during their limited action last season, and they will both be players for fans to monitor as the team figures out its point guard situation, which will evidently not include Banton.