A few days ago, I found myself studying film on the Portland Trail Blazers series against the Spurs in 2014, when a revelation came over me: he might not be of the level of say, Kobe Bryant or even Beno Udrih. But Aron Baynes has been a certified Blazer killer for quite some time.
Baynes has an infectious on-court energy, and a level of “nasty” that Portland hasn’t had in quite some time. Speaking culturally, he would be one of the more ideal fits, should the market not be too crowded for his services.
Rip City Project’s own Stevie Cozens made a case on his fellow New Zealander a week ago, detailing Baynes’ potential fit. But the idea of it is just too assuring to not put a few more words to.
Three things work to the Blazers’ potential benefit: (1) Baynes has never had a contact that paid more than $6.5 million (2) he’s only started more than 30 games in a single season once, and (3) Baynes has played for four different teams in the last six seasons.
That means money, a starting role, or even unbreakable loyalty to one team isn’t something he’s putting at the forefront of his priorities.
The actual market for centers is something that deserves some attention paid to it. On a season-to-season basis, centers command the highest-paid average salaries in the NBA, per Spotrac. But, they were on mostly short deals. They’re viewed a lot like modern-day running backs in the NFL, in terms of how replaceable they are.
Last season, Baynes was the No. 31 highest-paid center in the league, with his $5.4 million average salary. If the Blazers can even trickle that number down slightly, it’s probably a deal worth going for.
Baynes is coming off of by far the best season of his NBA career, having averaged 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per night. He’s a 3-and-D big, if that makes sense. Nearly half of shot attempts came from behind the arc, and he hit 59 3-pointers at a 35.1 percent rate.
At the same time, he’s a serviceable, but not elite defender. Assuming the Portland Trail Blazers can’t lock in Hassan Whiteside, Baynes’ versatility might be an avenue to pursue.