By Rigas Dardalis/ dardalis@eurohoops.net
Many Euroleague teams passed on the chance to sign Aron Baynes after his team, Union Olimpija, missed the Top16 qualification. The San Antonio Spurs didn’t. As Eurohoops had reported, there was NBA interest for the player and it was coming from the Spurs as Serbian journalist Djordje Matic twitted first.
A team that is known for its first class international scouting and a coach that trusts international players, Gregg Popovic, decided to pay the 400.000 $ buy out for the player to Olimpija, but also to sign him with a guaranteed contract not only for the rest of the season, but until the summer of 2014. The Australian center will have the chance in one and a half season to find his place in the teams’ rotation and make a name for himself on the other side of the Atlantic. According to Jonathan Givony of Draftexpress.com his deal with the Spurs has also a team option for two more seasons after the summer of 2014, so he could have a future in Texas.
As you can see in his stats, Baynes had an excellent season this year in Euroleague, last season he had produced also big numbers in the Greek league as a member of Ikaros BC and it will be interesting to see how his game will translate in the NBA.