Aron Baynes is waiting to see what's cooking for his NBA and international career

Aron Baynes knows it isn't the best idea to make firm commitments in 2020. That's why his impending free agency after a career year is something he can barely think about, and booking a flight to play in the Tokyo Olympics is pointless until the sporting calendar has more stability.

"The best thing about 2020 is, no matter what plans you have, they're gonna have to change," Baynes told ESPN. "No matter what's coming or what I've thought of previously, it's gonna change."

One thing Baynes is sure about: Don't put anything except salt and pepper -- lots of pepper -- on your brisket. "Nothing fancy," the budding pitmaster said of the central Texas method before explaining why a smoke ring in a piece of meat looks good but doesn't add any flavour. The extra time a lot of us have been afforded amid the coronavirus pandemic has allowed Baynes to continue to dabble in cooking an assortment of meats in an assortment of ways. Even in the Phoenix desert, Baynes has been cooking up everything from mussels, whole fish and molluscs to pigs heads and a variety of briskets. But, of course, 2020 has thrown a less-than-ideal spanner in the works.

"You can't have visitors over, so there's no one else to share the food with," Baynes said. "I have a lot more leftovers when I do cook something, which isn't bad. I call it meal prep. But in terms of the quantity that I get to cook, it's gone way down."

This offseason has been a unique one for Baynes. He and his immediate family contracted COVID-19 in May and have since been based out of their Phoenix home. Baynes begins most days by dropping his children off at school before working out and spending time with his wife, Rachel. Then he's back into what he calls "dad mode."

"It's been good being able [to] have the opportunity to stay home and be around the kids for such an extended period of time," Baynes said. "I get to just be Dad. I've never been able to do it for such a long duration. It's been fun being able to be with the kids every day."

That lifestyle might be coming to an end sooner than he thought, though, with the start date for the 2020-21 NBA season looking more and more likely to be at the end of December. That means NBA free agency, which Baynes enters as a hot commodity, could also begin sooner than expected.

The Australian big man is coming off what many have called his best season to date -- averaging a career-high 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting above 35% from beyond the arc -- and, at 33, is likely in a position to turn that into a quality contract.

"Everything's so fluid right now," Baynes said of his free agency.

"That's why you've got to lean on people you trust. For me, it's my agent, and I know that's the business side of basketball. I've been through it too many times to tie anything emotional to it, as much as you want to. You do have these connections throughout basketball and throughout the teams you've played for and where you've gone and also the outlook for your family. Everything weighs in to it.

"At the end of the day, it's a business decision, and we aren't even sure how that business is panning out right now, so hopefully it's for the best. It's what I'll be leaning on the agent for. Whatever we do, we'll try to make the best decision for myself, for my family and everyone who's helped me get to this point."

When Baynes was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Suns in the 2019 offseason, the team was coming off a Western Conference-worst 19-63 record, boasting a promising yet young and inexperienced roster.

Baynes was quick to demonstrate his ability to make an impact as a big-bodied, defensive-minded centre who can stretch the floor, but his value was just as evident from a leadership standpoint.

"I was fortunate to be in a great situation my first three years in San Antonio, and I've been in a bit of a rebuild while I was in Detroit, and I've been in a situation where we competed for Finals spots in Boston, so I've seen what it takes to get to the ultimate," Baynes said.

"I knew I could come in here and impart that on some of these young guys. The best part was I didn't have to push any of them. They were trying to push me as well. Deandre's a special player, and he has so much talent. It's just about getting him to lock in and focus on every possession, and when he does that, he goes out there and really dominates."

Whether it be leadership or the expansion of a skill set, Baynes demonstrated a plethora of traits that, until this point in his NBA career, he hadn't shown. Coming off an impressive 2019 FIBA World Cup campaign, Baynes carried his momentum into the NBA season, notably attempting 168 3-pointers after putting up 61 attempts the season before.

"I'm never satisfied," Baynes said of the growth in his game, even as he approaches the age of 34. "I don't think you can be satisfied in this league because, as soon as you get comfortable, the next person has that advantage. For me, I'm always trying to work and get better.

"I haven't played a lot of minutes, so my body feels really good, and I'm able to keep going out there and keep getting better. That's what I've been keying in on during this hiatus -- trying to get everything feeling even better to the point where I'm feeling the best I have in a long time."

Although the uncertainty surrounding free agency and the upcoming NBA regular season is becoming front of mind for Baynes, there's a separate but not insignificant period of volatility brewing back home.

In the middle of October, Brett Brown stepped down as head coach of the Australian Boomers, leaving a gaping hole less than 12 months out from the now-postponed Tokyo Olympics. Basketball Australia's preference is a man who held the position before, Brian Goorjian, sources told ESPN, but the selection process remains an arduous one because of the stakeholders involved -- namely the Boomers' NBA core, which includes Baynes.

"It's a tricky one," Baynes said. "For the core group of guys, we've been playing together for so long now that we're so comfortable in what we need to do. We've been so close a number of times that it's one of those things where hopefully we can get back together and all get out there and give it another crack.

"In terms of what we need from a head coach, it's someone who can come in and give us a system to run, although between Patty [Mills] and Delly [Matthew Dellavedova] and Joey [Ingles], whatever you're going to do, if you put the ball in their hands, they're going to make the right decision.

"At the end of the day, we're not too worried about what we need from an X's and O's. Those guys that come in, they're gonna know their stuff ... [The Boomers coaching staff] have always been good quality guys, and first and foremost, that's what we want: someone who's good quality, gets along with all the guys and holds everyone accountable. Although, within the group of players we have, we all hold each other accountable anyway."