Their record may not reflect it due to early-season injuries, but the Portland Trail Blazers quietly got better this past offseason. Some of that was due to addition by subtraction, and there may be no better example of that than their decision to let Dalano Banton walk in free agency.
Portland essentially picked Blake Wesley over Banton as the final guard, who was proving to be a much better fit for their defensive identity prior to suffering a right foot fracture. Offensively, Portland also wanted to emphasize more overall movement as a team that was entirely too stagnant last season.