Two-year deal keeps Baynes in Green

Aron Baynes made his free-agent intentions clear the morning after the Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference finals when he declared his preference was to remain in town and take the next step with a healthy and developing Celtics team.

It only took him a few minutes into free agency late Saturday night to make those intentions a reality when the veteran center agreed to return to Boston.

"Staying where I wanted to be!!" the Australian posted on his Twitter account [...]

Aron Baynes made his free-agent intentions clear the morning after the Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference finals when he declared his preference was to remain in town and take the next step with a healthy and developing Celtics team.

It only took him a few minutes into free agency late Saturday night to make those intentions a reality when the veteran center agreed to return to Boston.

“Staying where I wanted to be!!” the Australian posted on his Twitter account shortly after midnight. “Last year added fuel to the (fire) … bleed green banner 18.”

The deal is reportedly for two years and $11 million total with the second year being a player option.

While Baynes averaged a modest 6.0 points and 5.4 rebounds this past season, Celtics coach Brad Stevens repeatedly lauded his team defense and work ethic, often toward the end of the year including him with Al Horford whenever discussing leadership on the injury-riddled squad.

A spot starter to begin the year after signing with the Celtics for $4.4 million last summer, Baynes moved into the starting lineup full-time on Nov. 30 and remained there for all but three of the games he played the rest of the regular season.

He also added a 3-point shot to his game – seemingly out of nowhere – late in the regular season and into the playoffs. He came to Boston having made just one of seven career attempts in his first five NBA seasons, then missed his first 12 3s through 75 games with the Celtics before going 3-for-9 in the final seven games of the regular season. The 14.3-percent career 3-point shooter then knocked down 11 of 23 attempts (47.8 percent) over 19 playoff games.

With Baynes back in the fold, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge’s main goals in the first week of free agency appear to be retaining restricted free agent Marcus Smart and using part or all of the $8.6-million, non-taxpayer exception to bring in one more veteran.

“It’s easier when you’ve got three guys already (Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, Horford) that you’ve gotten from the years before,” Ainge said Friday of the expected quieter start to free agency compared to the past two years. “And you’ve got some budding stars, and younger players, who are progressing.

“First of all, we don’t have the cap space (to sign a marquee free agent), and second of all we don’t really have a need. We have really good players. So we need to surround them with role players with the rest of our roster that has a chance to win.”

Ainge said he will always explore ways to acquire “players of a certain magnitude – superstar, first-ballot-Hall of Fame-type of players” but added that a blockbuster trade is “unlikely” this summer.