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The Detroit Pistons have reached an agreement with unrestricted free agent center Aron Baynes, previously of the San Antonio Spurs, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.
It's not the sexiest free agent pickup, but after striking out on high profile targets Stan Van Gundy had to move on and address the lack of depth at the center position. Previously, Van Gundy said that he wanted to sign a developmental pick and hopefully bring back Joel Anthony to split backup center duties.
Baynes has only been in the league three years, but the native New Zealander is already 28 years old so there might not be that much upside left.
That being said, Baynes is coming off of a really strong year in San Antonio, logging more than 1,000 minutes in a reserve role.
Baynes, 6-foot-10 and 260 pounds, averaged 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 16 minutes per game, but he's a guy who can hit an open jumper out to about 12-15 feet and knocks down 85 percent of his free throws.
The terms of the deal are presently unknown but Stein tweeted that the deal is for three years, with a player option in year three and that it is "along the lines of Brandan Wright's new pact with Memphis and could rise as high as $20 million."
More than $6 million per season might seem high for a reserve center, but in this new NBA market, and with a dearth of quality big men remaining and plenty of teams looking for help down low, it seems to be a fair price.
What do you think of Detroit's newest edition?