Raptors Waive Aron Baynes, but Frontcourt Holes Still Remain Unfilled

The Toronto Raptors have parted ways with Aron Baynes, but the team's frontcourt holes remain unfilled as the center market dwindles

Aaron Rose | Aug 4, 2021

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Aron Baynes experiment has come to an abrupt albeit unsurprising end in Toronto.

What had once seemed like a solid fallback option to fill the Toronto Raptors' frontcourt holes, Baynes' tenure with the Raptors was anything but. The 34-year-old Australian totally lost his three-point stroke and was played off the court by the midpoint of the season. Now, he'll be looking for work this summer after Toronto decided to move on from Baynes and the $7.3 million he was going to be owed next year.

Toronto had until 5 p.m. Wednesday to make a decision on Baynes' future. It was never in doubt that he wouldn't be back with the Raptors, Toronto merely had to see if there were any trade possibilities for his contract. Moving him would have allowed a team to acquire that $7.3 million in empty salary that would have disappeared upon his release.

Unfortunately for the Raptors, those center issues that plagued Toronto last year have yet to be filled. Khem Birch is reportedly expected to be back with the team and Freddie Gillespie is on a non-guaranteed contract for next season, but nobody of high-impact has been brought in to replace what Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol provided two years ago.

With Jarrett Allen, Richaun Holmes, Nerlens Noel, Daniel Theis, Kelly Olynyk, Hassan Whiteside, Andre Drummond, and an ever-growing list of centers already off the market, it'll be difficult for Toronto to make a big move to shore up their frontcourt holes.

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