Aron Baynes is one step closer toward an inspiring NBA comeback.
The nine-year veteran and former Boston Celtics big man worked out in front of NBA teams Friday in Las Vegas, less than a year after he suffered a freak spinal cord injury that left him unable to walk.
So, how did Baynes look? Heavy.com's Steve Bulpett spoke to a few scouts and team executives who were in attendance and mostly liked what they saw from the 35-year-old center.
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"I’m not sure he’s going to be quite the banger he was before, but he can really shoot from the outside. He was drilling threes."
Footage from the workout appears to confirm that Baynes was in a groove from beyond the arc.
Baynes hasn't played an NBA game since May 2021, and it's hard to take too much from a 1-on-0 workout. But at least one team executive believes the 6-foot-10 Australia native will be NBA-ready by the fall.
"He can play now," the exec told Bulpett. "I’m not sure he’s all the way back -- or all the way to where he’s going to be with more time -- but from what I saw today, he can help a team."
Boston Celtics
If that's the case, the Celtics may want to give Baynes a call. Boston needs depth in the frontcourt behind Robert Williams, Al Horford and Grant Williams, and Baynes has familiarity with both president of basketball operations Brad Stevens -- his head coach for two seasons in Boston from 2017 to 2019 -- and head coach Ime Udoka, who spent three seasons with Baynes on the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach from 2012 to 2015.
"I can see a fit in Boston," a source told Bulpett. "They’ve already got (Rob) Williams and Al (Horford) and the other Williams (Grant) when they want to go smaller.
"They wouldn’t be asking a lot from (Baynes). He played for Brad, so it’d be a bit different with Udoka, but I wouldn’t see that as any problem."
The Celtics likely will explore other frontcourt options; they have until July 18 to use their $17.1 million traded player exception and also can see how rookie Trevion Williams fares in NBA Summer League. But if Baynes continues to progress well, he'd an intriguing depth option for Stevens and Co. on a low-cost deal.