Los Angeles Lakers: The team should pursue Aron Baynes in 2020 free agency

The Los Angeles Lakers should pursue Aron Baynes in free agency as his shooting ability would make him a complementary front-court piece alongside Anthony Davis in some lineups.

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis has spent the last eight months marketing himself as a power forward. Davis told the media last July that he prefers to be a power forward because it takes less of a physical toll on his body.

Davis’ preference to play power forward has led to him sharing the court with Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee for 21.9 minutes per game. Unfortunately, they rarely shoot threes, attempting 0.1 per game over the last 2+ seasons.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

The lack of shooting will create issues in the playoffs as the team is running a post-up centric offense. The Los Angeles Lakers are second in the league in post-up possessions averaging 14.5 per game. 62.1 percent of those possessions belong to Anthony Davis as he is averaging 9.0 per game.

Consequently, the opposing team will have two defenders near the basket. The two defenders can double team the ball handler or clog the paint, making it harder for a perimeter player to attack the basket.

The lack of a stretch five should be a problem beyond this season as CBS Sports has reported that Davis is leaning towards staying with the team. Therefore, the team should prioritize signing a 3-point shooting center.

A stretch-5 would put defenders in a bind. If the two defenders choose to double team Davis, he can pass the basketball to the center because of his ability to shoot from behind the arc. On the other hand, if the defenders stay with their original assignments, Davis will have more space to get around his defender.

Aron Baynes is the ideal candidate to fill this role as he will be an unrestricted free agent this off-season and has slowly become a stretch five over the past 2.5 years. Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens pulled him aside during training camp in 2017 because he wanted Baynes to extend his shooting range.

More from Los Angeles Lakers

• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
• A surprise LeBron ranking should raise alarm bells for the Lakers
• Surprising Austin Reaves contract detail confirms Lakers got him for a steal
• Instant Grades for the Lakers’ unprecedented Anthony Davis extension
• Report: Lakers have big plans for recent top-10 pick amid roster shakeup

Stevens thought that Baynes could become an effective 3-point shooter after he saw him consistently making mid-range jumpers in practice. After the conversation with Stevens, Baynes spent the rest of the year working on his 3-point shot from the corner and above the break.

Baynes decided to slowly integrate the 3-point shot into his repertoire as he would take one 3-pointer every few games through the team’s first 74 outings. He would miss all of his 12 attempts during this span.

However, he experienced a breakthrough with his 3-point shot on March 31st, 2018, when he hit his first two threes of the season against the Toronto Raptors. Baynes was left wide open in the right corner midway through the first quarter by Jonas Valanciunas as he chose to double team Jayson Tatum on the right wing. Consequently, Tatum passed the basketball to Baynes for the wide-open three.

A minutes later, Valanciunas chose to be near the basket as Baynes stood at the top of the key. Consequently, Terry Rozier passed the basketball to Baynes for the wide-open three. After this game, Baynes increased his 3-point attempts taking 1.2 per game during the final six games of the regular season. He converted 14.3 percent of the attempts.

Baynes’ success during the second half of 2017-18 led to him taking more threes the following season as he attempted 1.2 per game. Baynes’ 3-point percentage increased 20.1 percent as he converted 34.4 percent of his attempts.

Baynes has continued to gain confidence in the shot as he is taking 4.0 per game with the Phoenix Suns this season. He is converting a career-high 35.1 percent of his attempts. Baynes would also be a good financial fit for the team as they are currently supposed to be over the cap this offseason.

The team should be anywhere between $4.5-16 million over the cap, depending on what type of contract Davis chooses to sign this off-season. If Davis elects to opt-in at $28.7 million, the team will be $4.5 million over the cap as it stands right now. On the other hand, if he chooses to sign the maximum contract at $40.2 million, the team will be $16 million over the cap.

Consequently, unless the Los Angeles Lakers choose to open cap space by releasing or trading players, they can use the bi-annual ($3.82 million) and mid-level exception ($9.76 million) to sign free agents. As a consequence, Baynes is a realistic target for them as he has earned an average salary of $5 million over the past three seasons.