Celtics Free Agent Addition To Join Summer League Team

The Boston Celtics will kick off their NBA Summer League slate on July 8, doing so with a newcomer that projects to be fighting for a role throughout the 2023 regular season.

Dalano Banton, who signed a two-year deal with Boston at the start of free agency, is expected to join the Celtics’ squad in Las Vegas for Summer League action, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

Banton is an intriguing addition to the team, as the majority of players joining the Celtics for the summer aren’t expected to crack the roster for the regular season. The 6-foot-7 guard is, however, as he and fellow summer leaguer J.D. Davison project to fight for the final guard spot in Boston’s rotation.

Banton averaged 3.7 points and 1.8 assists in 10.3 minutes per game in his two seasons with the Toronto Raptors, appearing in a total of 95 contests. He attended high school in Massachusetts at MacDuffie School and Redemption Christian Academy.

Boston’s roster outside of Banton and Davison is an interesting one, as the Celtics will see No. 38 pick Jordan Walsh in action for the first time alongside Justin Champagnie, former Utah Jazz center Udoka Azubuike and Polish standout Aleksander Balcerowski.

The Celtics will tip off against the Miami Heat at 3 p.m. ET on July 8 on NBA TV, marking a much different matchup than their Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference finals. Walsh, Boston’s lone draft pick in 2023, will matchup with Miami rookie Jaime Jacquez Jr., the No. 18 pick in the NBA Draft.