Aron Baynes was the lone member of the San Antonio Spurs 2014 championship squad not on the roster through the summer, but that's now a distant memory.

Despite a rumor he may wind up with a Chinese team, Baynes elected to stick with San Antonio for a $2.1 million fee, per ESPN's Marc Stein.

The Spurs had officially tendered a qualifying offer to the restricted free agent in June, so the deal remained on Baynes' table for two months. However, according to Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News, the 27-year-old felt returning to the Spurs was the best situation.

"At the end of the day," Baynes said, "this just seemed like the best option for me now and I'm excited to be back. It's not very often you can bring back every member of a championship team, so I'm excited and looking forward to being able to contribute."

But it wasn't merely the best option for the 6'10" power forward; bringing him back was a smart decision by San Antonio too.

Baynes provides a physical rebounding presence, something the Spurs otherwise don't possess in their dangerously thin frontcourt behind Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter.

Matt Bonner will remain a fan favorite but is essentially an aging three-point shooter, and Jeff Ayres has limited upside. Yes, Boris Diaw alleviates much of the depth concern as a point forward in the second unit, but none of the three can clear space like Baynes.

To be clear, he isn't an underrated superstar waiting for his break or anything of the sort. Nevertheless, Baynes' NBA potential being little higher than a solid backup doesn't diminish his importance to the team.

Though he doesn't receive a staggering amount of time on the court, Baynes has proved efficient in limited action.

Additonally, Baynes performed well for Australia during the FIBA World Cup, tallying 16.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks over 26.8 minutes per outing.

Again, nowhere near elite yet productive.

San Antonio didn't need a glamorous bench upgrade; it simply required a post player to occupy a modest reserve role and not protest—something Baynes has done, unlike DeJuan Blair before him.

Quixem Ramirez @quixem

Aron Baynes will return to his role as tall guy who plays when Pop rests two starters in April.

Finding someone who is both satisfied playing fewer minutes each night and still valuable can be tricky, but the Spurs have a habit of doing that.

Last offseason, sharpshooter Marco Belinelli passed on bigger money and a more notable position with the Chicago Bulls to join an elite contender, per Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News. "I know money is important," Belinelli said, "but I'm a young guy and I want to improve my game. Money will come. I just want to win."

The change paid off for the Italian in more than monetary ways as he hoped, setting a career high from three-point land and securing his first career championship ring.

Yes, Baynes' re-signing is not perfectly identical since the journeyman Belinelli actually left Chicago in favor of San Antonio, but it's similar. Baynes is obviously adequately content with his responsibilities, enough that he'd decline a larger payday and increased minutes to remain an end-of-the-bench backup.

Most importantly, Baynes understands the Spurs' system. It certainly seems like coach Gregg Popovich is a plug-and-play master, but familiarity will be a primary benefit for the 2014-15 edition of the team.

Unrestricted free agents Gustavo Ayon and Ray Allen were intriguing candidates for the last roster spot, but neither whisper, both from ESPN's Marc Stein, amounted to more than that. A couple handfuls of players worked out for San Antonio, including Michael Beasley, Earl Clark and Fuquan Edwin, among others.

But none of those talented athletes supplied what the Spurs desired. Baynes was their best option, and they were his.

Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.