Boomers centre Baynes set to join Boston

Australian NBA player Aron Baynes will reportedly join Boston from Detroit for the 2017-18 season.

Australia's presence in the NBA playoffs is set to grow, with Aron Baynes understood to be on the verge of joining Boston.

Baynes will join last season's Eastern Conference finalists after two years in Detroit, according to multiple US reports.

The 208cm-bench centre for the Pistons who also played for the San Antonio Spurs, where he won the 2014 championship, indicated his move on Sunday.

"Does anybody know if there's good BBQ in Boston? Asking for a friend," he tweeted.

The Celtics, who topped the conference before losing to Cleveland in the playoffs, are yet to confirm the Boomer's signing.

They've been active at the trade table this off-season, also being set to bring in star Utah forward Gordon Hayward and Piston Marcus Morris, and taking Jayson Tatum at no.3 in the draft.

Baynes, 30, decided to walk away from the $US6.5 million ($A8.6 million) player option he had with Detroit, becoming an unrestricted free agent and testing the NBA market.

The Queensland big man had been vocal about his desire to return to the Pistons, viewing his time in Motor City as "unfinished business" after the team, despite a talented roster, failed to make the playoffs last season.

Joe Ingles, Dante Exum (Utah), Matthew Dellavedova (Milwaukee) and Patty Mills (San Antonio) were among the Australians who did feature in the playoffs.

Rio Olympian Baynes averaged five points and more than four rebounds from 15.5 minutes a game in 2016-17.

It's understood the Celtics won't make Baynes' signing official until the pending Hayward deal is done by freeing up space in the salary cap.


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Source: AAP



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