If you thought that Aron Baynes has been seething about the trade that sent him from the Boston Celtics — where he had just signed a two-year, $10.6 million deal — to the Phoenix Suns during the 2019 NBA Draft, you would be wrong.
As it’s often said, the NBA is a business and Baynes knows that as well as anybody. Per MassLive’s John Karalis, “Baynes is well aware of the business side of the NBA, so he said he holds no grudges [about being traded to Phoenix].”
While loyalty between players and teams is a an ideal that’s often discussed, it’s rarely practiced — so rarely in fact, that it’s celebrated — in the modern era.
Gone are the days when teams like the Boston Celtics had multiple players who spent their whole career with one team, as the symbiotic team-player relationship has fallen victim to lucrative contracts, a player union and superstars who are less reluctant to leave their team than the players before them.
Even when looking at situations from that of a front office, the bevy of talent in the NBA pool, the premium placed on draft picks and an era that expects accelerated success has created an atmosphere where player movement seems to be at an all-time high.
That said, Boston was the third team that Baynes had suited up for after spending three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and two seasons with the Detroit Pistons. Though he left an indelible mark on the Celtics franchise with his leadership and toughness, the big man wasn’t a Celtics lifer and both he and Boston acknowledged that.
As a result, Baynes and the 24th overall pick were shipped off to the Suns in exchange or a first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
With the Celtics’ logjam at center and Baynes having a career year in Phoenix with 15.0 points per game (and 46.8% shooting from 3-point range), both parties may have been better off without each other regardless.
However, Baynes continuing to have friendships with players in Boston and likely some individuals within the organization who weren’t suiting up on the court, the relationship between he and the franchise is a feel good story in a league where plenty of bridges burned.