<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/pop-1.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich hilariously reacts to hearing about Aron Baynes Twitter fan club</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-12-27T20:28:05-08:00">December 27th, 8:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-12-27T20:30:19-08:00">December 27th, 8:30pm</time><address><a>Joseph Nocco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Longtime San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich knows quite literally everything that there is to know about basketball and specifically the NBA — well, almost. On Sunday evening, Popovich was asked about one of his former players, current Toronto Raptors center Aron Baynes, who the legendary Spurs head coach praised immensely.</p><p>However, things got even deeper than that as the Twitter-less Popovich was made aware of the “<a href="https://twitter.com/BaynesFanClub/status/1343315766754631681?s=20">Aron Baynes Fan Club</a>,” a hilarious and pretty well-known parody account that follows the Raptors big man wherever he goes around the league. Despite failing to truly acknowledge the Twitter account, Popovich did make a point to say some very complimentary things about Aron Baynes:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Gregg Popovich was asked about Baynes Fan Club and you’ll never believe his answer.</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/RealTomPetrini?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@RealTomPetrini</a>) <a href="https://t.co/CfX36LQtvL" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/CfX36LQtvL</a></p><p>— Unofficial tAronto Baynes Fan Club (@BaynesFanClub) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaynesFanClub/status/1343315766754631681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 27, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The 34-year-old Baynes is currently in the midst of his first season as a member of the Raptors after bouncing around the league at a fairly high rate over the years. The 6-foot-10 center signed as a free agent with Toronto during the offseason on a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-aron-baynes-agrees-to-2-year-14-3m-deal-with-toronto/">two-year, $14.3 million deal</a>.</p><p>Aron Baynes originally broke into the NBA back in 2012-13 as a member of the Spurs before going on to spend his first three seasons atop the highest level in San Antonio. In addition to the Spurs and Raptors, Baynes has also suited up for the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns. His three-year stint in San Antonio is the most time he has spent with any single NBA franchise since breaking into the league almost 10 years ago.</p><p>As for the Coach Pop and his Spurs, they suffered their first defeat of the season on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans, 98-95.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich hilariously reacts to hearing about Aron Baynes Twitter fan club

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/raptors-news-toronto-adds-alex-len-after-aron-baynes-to-plug-holes-left-by-serge-ibaka-marc-gasol.png"></figure><h1>Report: Raptors add Alex Len after Aron Baynes to plug holes left by Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-11-23T11:59:05-08:00">November 23rd, 11:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-11-23T11:59:05-08:00">November 23rd, 11:59am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Toronto Raptors continue to bolster the frontcourt after losing veteran bigs Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol in free agency.</p><p>Toronto <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-aron-baynes-agrees-to-2-year-14-3m-deal-with-toronto/" rel="noopener noreferrer">agreed to terms</a> with former Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns center Aron Baynes on Sunday. Then on Monday, the Raptors inked another former Suns big in Alex Len, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1330954986356961285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1330954986356961285%7Ctwgr%5E&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D920144action%3Dedit" rel="noopener noreferrer">per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.</a></p><p>Len spent time with the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings last season, averaging 8.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in just under 18 minutes per game.</p><p>The former No. 5 pick has shown glimpses of potential throughout his career. Len even shot 36.3 percent from deep and averaged 11.1 points with the Hawks during the 2018-19 season. However, he will almost certainly continue to be a depth piece in Toronto.</p><p>The Raptors prioritized re-signing Fred VanVleet in terms of internal free agents, agreeing to terms on a four-year, $85 million deal with the breakout star. Masai Ujiri also kept some of the frontcourt intact by bringing back Chris Boucher, who could see a big uptick in minutes this upcoming season.</p><p>It was always going to be a challenge for the Raptors to bring back VanVleet and also attempt to retain Ibaka and Gasol. Instead, Ujiri has pivoted by signing bigs who seem to thrive in bursts.</p><p>Toronto is coming off another tremendous year in which it earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and came within a single game of the Easter Conference Finals. Ujiri will hope Baynes and Len can give the team production inside after losing two key big men in Ibaka and Gasol.</p><p>Both former Raptors big men are heading to Los Angeles, with Ibaka joining the Clippers and Gasol going to the Lakers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Report: Raptors add Alex Len after Aron Baynes to plug holes left by Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/aron2.jpg"></figure><h1>Aron Baynes agrees to 2-year, $14.3M deal with Raptors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-11-22T17:42:29-08:00">November 22nd, 5:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-11-22T17:42:29-08:00">November 22nd, 5:42pm</time><address><a>Dave Monaco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After losing <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-serge-ibaka-agrees-to-deal-with-clippers/">Serge Ibaka</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-marc-gasol-signs-with-los-angeles/">Marc Gasol</a> in free agency, the Raptors make a nice move by signing Aron Baynes to a two-year, $14.3 million deal per <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1330674168346644481">Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Free agent center Aron Baynes has agreed to a two-year, $14.3M deal with the Toronto Raptors, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthleticNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@TheAthleticNBA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Stadium</a>.</p><p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1330674168346644481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">November 23, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Out of the remaining bigs on the free agency market, Baynes was the best of the bunch. He had a career year last season in Phoenix, averaging 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, shooting 35 percent from deep. Baynes rached career highs in points and rebounds last seasons with the Phoenix Suns and was critical for the squad early during the season when Deandre Ayton was serving a 25-game suspension.</p><p>Baynes is a physical big man who will give the Raptors rebounding, 3-point shooting, and solid defense. Losing Ibaka and Gasol hurts, but this move will help soften the blow. Masai Ujiri with yet another excellent acquisition.</p><p>Baynes’ Per 36 stats are even more impressive, averaging 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per 36 minutes. That would be some solid production for a teams starting center. Baynes also adds perimeter shooting and a big pick-and-roll presence. The Raptors ran the pick and roll 14 percent of their total possessions last year, yet the roll men only ranked 29th in the league when it came to their PPP (points per possession). The Raptors are definitely going to benefit from Baynes, who is one of the better pick and roll bigs in the league.</p><p>Baynes can also play in the pick and pop because of his 3-point shooting ability, making up for what the Raptors lost in Ibaka.</p><p>The Raptors also just recently re-signed power forward/center Chris Boucher, giving them even more depth in the frontcourt. The combination of Boucher’s athleticism and length with Baynes’ rebounding and physicality should make Raptors fans feel comfortable with what they have at center.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Aron Baynes agrees to 2-year, $14.3M deal with Raptors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/baynes.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Rumor: Aron Baynes expected to leave Suns in free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-11-18T19:57:47-08:00">November 18th, 7:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-11-18T21:13:50-08:00">November 18th, 9:13pm</time><address><a>Ashish Mathur</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns big man Aron Baynes becomes an unrestricted free agent once the 2020 free agency period begins and he’s not expected to return to the desert.</p><p>Despite the Suns’ acquisition of future Hall of Famer Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Baynes is reportedly set to leave Phoenix in free agency, per <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1329244558190899206" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Whoa Jalen Smith is interesting for the Suns. NBA execs fully expect Aron Baynes to leave Phoenix (with New Orleans as a distinct possibility) so Smith can fill that stretch-5 role. I fully expect Monty Williams to use some double-big lineups too. Smith can stroke 3s like a wing. <a href="https://t.co/GwBxQiWtJR" target="_blank">https://t.co/GwBxQiWtJR</a></p><p>— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1329244558190899206?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">November 19, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Aron Baynes made $5,453,280 in 2019-20. He should get a pay raise after having a sound campaign with the Suns. The 33-year-old averaged 11.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from beyond the arc and 74.7 percent from the free-throw line.</p><p>The Suns went 8-0 in the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. However, they didn’t make the playoffs in the rugged Western Conference, as the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers played in the NBA’s first-ever play-in game. The Blazers won to clinch the eighth seed but lost to LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2020 playoffs in five games.</p><p>In 469 NBA games, Baynes has career averages of 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds with the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics and Suns. He should be pursued by a bevy of contenders on the open market since he has improved his outside stroke and is a great rebounder.</p><p>As noted by O’Connor, though, the Suns seemed to have prepared for the departure of Baynes with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2020-nba-draft-tracker-time-order-picks-mock-drafts-results-grades-live-stream-betting-odds/" rel="noopener noreferrer">selection of Jalen Smith</a> in the 2020 NBA Draft. It remains to be seen, however, how he’ll develop and fit alongside Deandre Ayton in the Phoenix frontcourt.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rumor: Aron Baynes expected to leave Suns in free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Kelly-Oubre-Jr.-Aron-Baynes-Suns.jpg"></figure><h1>Kelly Oubre Jr., Aron Baynes injury outlook per Phoenix GM James Jones</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-08-07T20:39:42-07:00">August 7th, 8:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-08-07T20:39:42-07:00">August 7th, 8:39pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns general manager James Jones has provided an update on the status of two key players on the team in Kelly Oubre Jr. and Aaron Baynes. Both players have yet to suit up for the Suns at this point, which might just change in the immediate future.</p><p>This report comes via Suns insider Kellan Olson:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">James Jones on <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Bickley_Marotta?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bickley_Marotta</a> says the Suns are "hopeful" for the return of Kelly Oubre Jr. and Aron Baynes. Credited how they've been as teammates in Orlando.</p><p>— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/KellanOlson/status/1291822008813015040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>For his part, Oubre has been given the doubtful tag for Phoenix’s matchup on Saturday against the Miami Heat. The 24-year-old has been dealing with a right-knee issue, but appears to be closing in on a return for his team.</p><p>Oubre has been tremendous for the Suns in his first full season with the team, averaging <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/oubreke01.html#all_per_game">18.7 points</a> (on 45.2 percent shooting), 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 steals, while also connecting on 1.9 triples per contest on a 35.2-percent clip.</p><p>As for Baynes, the veteran big man tested positive for COVID-19 a few months back, but has since made a full recovery. However, his conditioning has been a problem, with him having to sit out for an extended period. Most recently, however, the Suns coaching staff has updated the 6-foot-10 center’s status to a right knee contusion as opposed to the previous conditioning issue. Clearly, he too is making the right amount of progress.</p><p>The Suns have been the hottest team since the restart, winning all four of their seeding games thus far. They are quickly closing in on the eighth seed in the West, and have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-booker-is-finally-announcing-his-arrival-per-coach-monty-williams/">emerged as a dark horse to make the playoffs</a>.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"><iframe><script>  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){  (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)  })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');  ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', 'auto');  ga('set', 'campaignSource', 'Facebook');  ga('set', 'campaignMedium', 'Instant Article');  ga('set', 'title', ia_document.title);  ga('send', 'pageview');</script><script type="text/javascript">      window._taboola = window._taboola || [];      _taboola.push({          article: 'auto',          ref_url: 'http://instantarticles.fb.com'      });      !function (e, f, u, i) {          if (!document.getElementById(i)) {              e.async = 1;              e.src = u;              e.id = i;              f.parentNode.insertBefore(e, f);          }      }(document.createElement('script'),          document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0],          'https://cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/clutchpoints-clutchpoints/trk.js',          'tb_loader_script');      if (window.performance) {          if (typeof window.performance.mark == 'function') {            window.performance.mark('tbl_ic');          }        }</script></iframe></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kelly Oubre Jr., Aron Baynes injury outlook per Phoenix GM James Jones

Bobby Portis

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Derrick Favors

Dante Exum

Aron Baynes

Caris LeVert

Wendell Carter Jr.

Steven Adams

Gary Harris

Troy Daniels

2013-14 NBA Champ

2014 NBA Champ

https://twitter.com/aronbaynes/status/1268344980315095041/

The pursuit for equality is a global issue, a fight for our human race, our country, our community, our colleagues, our friends. I will do all I can within my own sphere of influence to make sure love, acceptance and understanding are paramount and that ignorance has no place. 

https://twitter.com/aronbaynes/status/1216939683499765761/

Congratulations to Jess and Jimmy - the two signed jersey winners. More importantly, a massive thank you to everyone for supporting Australia during this national crisis. The people, land and animals need as much help as they can get. Again, thank you 💪🏻 #australianbushfires

https://twitter.com/aronbaynes/status/1215072235255283712/

Australia is burning! Donate to the link below and DM me a screenshot of your donation and you’ll go in the running to win 1 of 2 signed jerseys! Will be drawn Monday. Lets do this 🇦🇺 #BushfireRelief #AustralianBushfires #AustraliaIsBurning

https://t.co/tJejxxlJfX https://t.co/7G419ErqGy

https://twitter.com/aronbaynes/status/1214703982729236480/

If you’re in a position to donate, here is our link: https://t.co/tJejxxlJfX

🇦🇺 #australianbushfires #australiaisburning

https://twitter.com/aronbaynes/status/1214703490406109186/

Along with my aussie NBA brothers and the help of @TheNBPA and @NBA we are able to pledge over $1,000,000 AUD to help rebuild that which has been lost and continue to support our brave and tireless firefighters on the front line 🇦🇺 #australianbushfires #australiaisburning https://t.co/5i9vy9V9gF

https://twitter.com/aronbaynes/status/1214702914725220352/

As you are all aware, the devastation in Australia continues with no end in sight 🇦🇺 #australianbushfires #australiaisburning https://t.co/D2mKpi5Jt5

Aron
Baynes

VIDEO: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich hilariously reacts to hearing about Aron Baynes Twitter fan club

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Kelly Oubre Jr., Aron Baynes injury outlook per Phoenix GM James Jones