NBA's Top Restricted Free Agents

SI Staff | Jun 27, 2012

NBA's Top Restricted Free Agents /

NBA's Top Restricted Free Agents

Roy Hibbert

Note: Incumbent teams can match any rival offers for their restricted free agents. Age: 25 Position: Center 2011-12 Team: Pacers 2011-12 Stats: 12.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.0 bpg Skinny: Hibbert made the All-Star team for the first time and his stock rose after a strong postseason in which he averaged 11.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.1 blocks. "He's a stud," an Eastern Conference general manager said. "He would fit in on any team." The problem? Rival execs are convinced that the Pacers will match any offer.

Eric Gordon

Age: 23 Position: Shooting Guard 2011-12 Team: Hornets 2011-12 Stats: 20.6 ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.8 rpg Skinny: The sharpshooting guard battled injuries last season, playing in just nine games after being shipped to New Orleans in the Chris Paul trade. Still, Gordon is considered an elite shooter and a borderline All-Star-level two-guard. He could form a promising inside-outside combo in New Orleans with No. 1 pick Anthony Davis.

Brook Lopez

Age: 24 Position: Center 2011-12 Team: Nets 2011-12 Stats: 19.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg 0.8 bpg Skinny: A foot injury limited Lopez to just five games last season, but that won't prevent him from earning north of $8 million per season in a long-term deal.

Ryan Anderson

Age: 24 Position: Power Forward 2011-12 Team: Magic 2011-12 Stats: 16.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg Skinny: The NBA's Most Improved Player picked a good time to have his best season. Three-point prowess is Anderson's strength, but he also proved to be a capable rebounder playing alongside Dwight Howard.

Nicolas Batum

Jeremy Lin

Age: 23 Position: Point Guard 2011-12 Team: Knicks 2011-12 Stats: 14.6 ppg, 6.2 apg, 3.1 rpg Skinny: Lin isn't going anywhere. The Gilbert Arenas provision in the CBA prevents teams from offering Lin more than the mid-level exception (about $5 million), which the Knicks will match.

JaVale McGee

Age: 24 Position: Center 2011-12 Team: Wizards/Nuggets 2011-12 Stats: 11.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.2 bpg Skinny: McGee is one of the most intriguing players on the market. He's shown flashes of dominance but isn't consistent and is prone to foolish plays that go viral. But young, skilled, work-in-progress big men tend to get rewarded in free agency.

O.J. Mayo

Age: 24 Position: Shooting Guard 2011-12 Team: Grizzlies 2011-12 Stats: 12.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.6 apg Skinny: Mayo's four years in Memphis have been both tumultuous (he was nearly traded at the deadline in each of the last two seasons) and productive (he was one of the NBA's top sixth men last season). The small-market Grizzlies -- who have made big, long-term commitments to Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley -- may be hard-pressed to keep him.

George Hill

Age: 26 Position: Point Guard 2011-12 Team: Pacers 2011-12 Stats: 9.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.9 apg Skinny: Hill's value spiked late in the season, when he took over the starting role from Darren Collison and led Indiana to the second round of the playoffs. The Pacers love Hill, but with Collison under contract for at least one more year, Roy Hibbert headed for a huge new deal and others (such as Paul George) who will need to be paid down the road, signing Hill becomes problematic. The Pacers will likely wait and see what kind of offer Hill gets before deciding whether to match.

Omer Asik

Age: 25 Position: Center 2011-12 Team: Bulls 2011-12 Stats: 3.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.0 bpg Skinny: Asik has proved to be a strong rebounder and defender in limited minutes in his first two seasons. The Bulls could end up in luxury-tax territory if they match any $5 million-plus offer to Asik, who would still be behind Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson on the depth chart.

Published Jun 27, 2012

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