Boston Celtics: Age may prevent reunion with former Cs big man
A popular question since Australian big man Aron Baynes returned to basketball with the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League this past summer after a career-threatening injury during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is whether or not the Boston Celtics would consider bringing him back.
It’s not looking likely that the Cs, or any other of the 29 teams across the Association for that matter, will be signing him to a contract anytime soon — this at least according to MassLive’s Brian Robb.
In his latest Celtics Mailbag, Robb left the door open for a potential return but said it wouldn’t be likely for Baynes to catch on with an NBA team following a stint in his home country of Australia due to his age.
Here was Robb’s full explanation, which came courtesy of a question from a reader asking about whether or not Baynes would be a viable big man option for the Boston Celtics given their current depth chart issues:
"“Baynes ended up signing in Australia with the Brisbane Bullets after that workout, although he likely has an NBA out in his contract. He looked sharp in the Bullets’ first win last week (17 points, 14 rebounds) but the Celtics or any other NBA team are going to have stay see a lot more consistency to give him another NBA shot. It would make for a great story if it happens but it feels unlikely at this juncture given Baynes’ age.”"
The Boston Celtics aren’t interested in any available veteran big men
Earlier in Brian Robb’s Celtics Mailbag, the reporter shut down the idea that the Boston Celtics could register interest in former perennial All-Star pivots like Dwight Howard and DeMarcus Cousins — something he had previously done in September following Robert Williams’ injury.
Luke Kornet’s presence is the primary reason why no additional big man may be needed. Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens seemingly has plenty of faith for the 7-foot-2 center as evidenced by his social media behavior in the preseason.
While he hasn’t been spectacular, he’s been efficient and even flashed a 3-point stroke in a 112-94 victory over the Washington Wizards on October 30. His presence likely keeps Aron Baynes out of consideration for now, even if the pair offers different styles of low-post play.