Report: Spurs willing to do a sign-and-trade for Aron Baynes

One question that hasn't been answered this summer is whether Aron Baynes will return to the Spurs next season.

Today, Marc Spears of Yahoo! tweeted:

The Spurs are open to sign and trade offers for restricted FA C Aron Baynes, who played well for Australia at the World Cup, a source said.

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) September 15, 2014

Money has kept Baynes and the Spurs from coming to an agreement, and it doesn't look like that gap will be closing soon. On the first day of free agency, the team extended a $1.1 million qualifying offer and made him a restricted free agent, but the 6'10" center believes his worth is closer to $2 million a year.

The Spurs haven't budged on their offer and Baynes has recently been exploring options in Europe. There hasn't been any news about an NBA team willing to give him that much money either.

However, Baynes' performance at the FIBA World Cup may have helped his odds. He averaged 16.8 points, seven rebounds and one block per game for Australia and did a better job staying out of foul trouble than he has in San Antonio. Last year, Baynes averaged three points and 2.7 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game.

Rumors have risen of the Spurs' interest in other big men, such as Gustavo Ayon and Ryan Hollins, presumably in case they can't sign Baynes. The frontcourt depth will take a bit of a hit if Baynes leaves, but the team has shown they don't want to overpay for an end-of-the-bench player.