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Baynes, who Raptors fans should be familiar with given his role with the Celtics the two seasons before his year in Phoenix, is a 6-foot-10, 260-pound behemoth with an improving touch from behind the three-point line.
He was showing some of that in Boston before his departure and in his one year with the Suns shot a respectable 35% from distance.
Baynes also comes with a solid defensive reputation, one earned when each team he has joined going back to his first year in the league with San Antonio in 2012 improved defensively after his arrival.
Only minutes after the Baynes signing was reported, ESPN’S Adrian Wojnarowski chimed in with news of the Raptors futher solidifying their frontcourt with the re-signing of Candian centre Chris Boucher. Boucher has shown steady improvement with the Raptors and was rewarded with a two-year deal valued at $13.5-millon.
While the Raptors did concede a second year on the Baynes deal, the second year is a team option. The hope all along was to sign Ibaka on a one-year deal keeping some financial flexibility for the 2020-21 off-season which many believe will still be a loaded year in free agency.
Only Ibaka can say what tipped the scales in the Clippers favour but if you accept that the Raptors weren’t going to go more than a one-year deal (HoopsHype reported the Raptors offered Ibaka $12-million for the one year) then it’s either the extra year of security the Clippers offered or the chance to play with a championship contender, something the Clippers can still claim even after their early exit this past season.
