Revealed: Baynes' Secret Workout

By Liam Santamaria

A secret workout at a local high school served as one of the final tests for Aron Baynes, as the Brisbane Bullets signed the NBA champion to a “game-changing” two-year contract.

Brisbane was always the favourite to sign Baynes. After all, he and his family have put down roots in the city over recent years. He’s also been working out at the Bullets’ facility, Nissan Arena, over the past few months, ramping up his rehab.

But the fact that the deal is now done, and Baynes will step out in Bullets colours when the NBL23 season opens in October, is a massive boost for a club desperate for on-court success.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have Aron Baynes as a Brisbane Bullet for the next couple of seasons,” club CEO Peter McLennon told media on Friday.

“For us to have someone like Aron – his experience on and off the floor – is invaluable to us. We’re extremely pleased.”

The contract marks Baynes’ return to professional basketball after 12 months spent recovering from the devastating injuries he suffered last year at the Tokyo Olympics.

It truly is a remarkable comeback story.

Of course, Baynes’ impending return jumped onto our radars early last month in Las Vegas when the Boomers' centre invited NBA executives to watch his workout. 

According to Baynes’ agent, Daniel Moldovan from Octagon Basketball, the feedback from those in attendance was overwhelmingly positive.

“There was no negative feedback whatsoever following the workout, it was positive right across the board,” Moldovan told NBL Media.

“There’s just a massive crunch of available spots for bigs (on NBA rosters), right now.”

With that in mind, Baynes and Moldovan decided to shift their thinking towards the NBL.

“We didn’t want to take anything non-guaranteed, so rather than sitting on our hands in the hope that something would open up, which was a real possibility, we tried to get ahead of the curve,” Moldovan explained.

“We thought: the NBL season is really short, so even a player on a team that wins the championship is still going to have ample opportunities to latch on (to an NBA franchise) well before the playoffs commence.

“Especially coming off a year where he (Baynes) didn’t play, we thought there’d be nothing better than getting some games under his belt in a league that seems to be the number one springboard into the NBA.”

It was at that stage where conversations with the Bullets began to fire up.

Brisbane’s GM of Basketball, Sam Mackinnon, was unsurprisingly interested but there was a problem: the big fella wasn’t going to come cheap.

Mackinnon’s next task was to convince the club’s ownership group to come to the party.

“I told them Baynes was a chance but that he, deservedly so, was going to cost a bit of money,” Mackinnon told NBL Media.

“That said, because of the synergy between who Aron is and the club’s values, it was a pretty easy decision. They said ‘we’re very happy to proceed with making him an offer’.”

From there, Mackinnon organised to meet with Baynes over coffee.

“I just wanted to chat to him about stuff. I had done my due diligence on the type of guy 'Baynsey' is, but I just wanted to get a feel for where he was at,” Mackinnon explained.

“Given that he’s done so much, what does he still want to get out of basketball? How can he help us and how can we help him?”

It was a conversation that covered all those questions and more. Baynes shared details about his injuries and his last few years in the Association, while Mackinnon, in turn, reflected on the back-end of his own career and how playing in front of loved ones had brought him fulfillment.

“We ended up being there for a good couple of hours,” Mackinnon shared.

“I had to run off to a meeting and he was like ‘sorry, I just like to talk.’ It was a really good, positive chat.

“He spoke about a number of things and the overwhelming sense for me was that basketball is his happy place … that’s what ultimately brings a smile to his face. That’s the rub for him, that’s why he’s doing it.”

That wasn’t all that Mackinnon took away. He also left that sit-down feeling excited about moving forward with the deal. There was just one more box he wanted to see ticked: he wanted to see a workout. A tough, physical workout. He wanted to see Baynes compete.

Time was of the essence, however, so arrangements were made for a late-night workout at a local school, St Joseph’s College – Gregory Terrace, where Mackinnon previously served as director of basketball.

Of course, with the terms of a potential contract still being finalised, the Bullets were keen to keep their involvement with Baynes under wraps. But in a stadium teaming with hoops enthusiasts, all with mobile phones and social media accounts, that wasn’t going to be easy.

“When we arrived at the venue, they had Friday night basketball happening and those games were finishing,” Mackinnon explained.

“Six of us walked in but I just said to 'Baynsey' ‘wait in the car’. I mean there were about 40 people in there who were all basketball people, so if we’d walked in with 'Baynsey' they’d have all known what was going on.”

When the coast was clear, word was sent to Baynes and the big fella made his way into the gym. After a quick warm-up, the workout began.

“I just wanted to see him get hit, whacked around, and finish through contact… that’s when he just belted 'Vandy', which was pretty funny.”

‘Vandy’ is, of course, Greg Vanderjagt, a former NBL player who is now an assistant coach with the Bullets. Standing 213 centimetres tall, Vanderjagt played centre for the Townsville Crocs and Gold Coast Blaze over a ten-year NBL career.

“Oh yeah, 'Vandy' copped a few knocks on a few post moves,” Mackinnon laughed.

“Just a few clear-outs from Baynsey on some up-fakes. It was just like, ‘oops, sorry 'Vandy'’.”

In the end, it was enough to convince the key decision-makers at Brisbane that the three-time Olympian was ready to go.  

“It was just great for 'JD' (head coach James Duncan) and I to see him moving after the injuries he’s (Baynes) had,” Mackinnon said.

“He’s still got great touch. Physically he’s not in basketball shape, but he’s still in great shape. It all happened pretty quicky from there as it was a simple process working with his agent.”

Moldovan feels similarly about dealing with the Bullets. Following the announcement of Baynes signing with Brisbane, the prominent agent took to social media to sing Mackinnon’s praises.

“Sam was just really aggressive and assertive. He knew what he wanted to get done,” he told NBL Media.

“I just respect the fact that he knew that even though there were a number of bigs on his roster, you can’t pass up an opportunity to get somebody like Aron.

“He was really clear with the vision he had for the club and Aron shared that vision, so it was just a really good fit. The whole process was smooth sailing.” 

So, here we are…. Aron Baynes is a Brisbane Bullet.

It was Andrew Bogut who was the first of this golden age of Aussie Boomers to return to the NBL and, 12 months ago, Matthew Dellavedova followed suit. Both of those guys turned one season in Australia into another opportunity in the NBA. That’s precisely what Baynes is hoping to achieve.

In the meantime, his addition is massive for the Bullets. This is a club that has not won a finals game since returning to the league back in 2016. But with Baynes on the roster – plus the recommitment of Nathan Sobey and the recent signing of former NBA guard Tyler Johnson – excitement is brewing in Brisbane for a positive season ahead.

Just ask James Duncan. The Bullets head coach fully appreciates the significance of bringing the Boomers centre on board.

“It’s Aron Baynes,” Duncan said.

“Having someone like that come to your team is a big thing. It’s a big thing for the NBL and it’s an exciting time for us.

Now it’s about putting in the other pieces, continuing to grow and starting to get ourselves ready for the new season."