NBA Free Agents 2012: 10 Restricted Free Agents Who Will Actually Change Teams

Restricted free agents don't often leave their teams in the NBA, but these 10 will become the exceptions to the rule once the 2012 NBA playoffs draw to a conclusion, and a new champion is crowned.

Once a player hits restricted free agency, any team can fill out an offer sheet, which can be matched by the team that just held his services. But if it's not matched, then voila, he goes to a new team. 

Like I said, a failure to match doesn't happen often. 

Here are the 10 instances in which it will. 

D.J. Augustin

Team: Charlotte Bobcats

Position: PG

Age: 24

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 11.1 points, 6.4 assists, 2.3 rebounds

Even though D.J. Augustin is very much a spry and young point guard, he's not quite young enough to qualify for the upcoming youth movement in Charlotte. After all, his more-talented backup is a good bit younger. 

With Bismack Biyombo and potentially Anthony Davis forming a potent duo in the frontcourt, the Bobcats brass needs to hand the reins over to Kemba Walker and allow him to run the show with the ball in his hands. 

But to do that, Augustin can no longer be a part of the equation. 

Nicolas Batum

Team: Portland Trail Blazers

Position: SF

Age: 23

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 13.9 points, 1.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds

The Portland Trail Blazers are going to want to keep Nicolas Batum, but there's a good chance that the price they're asked to match drastically exceeds how much the unnamed future general manager is willing to pay. 

After all, if you Google his name and free agency, you'll see quite a few sites that have been talking about him receiving a maximum contract or something close to it. While the 23-year-old still has the through-the-roof potential that has led us to forecast breakouts for him year after year, he still hasn't justified that type of money yet. 

The Blazers are going to be hoping this isn't the case, but there's a case we see an anti-Vito Corleone and an offer is made Portland simply has to refuse to match. 

Michael Beasley

Team: Minnesota Timberwolves

Position: SF/PF

Age: 23

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 11.5 points, 1.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds

Michael Beasley hasn't been able to earn quite as many minutes with the Minnesota Timberwolves as he might be able to with various other teams around the NBA, but he absolutely remains a talented scorer and rebounder. 

The combo forward only received 23.1 minutes per game of playing time this season thanks in large part to the presences of Kevin Love, Wesley Johnson, Anthony Randolph and Derrick Williams, among others on the roster. 

While there's still a lot of time left on the clock for Beasley to reach his potential, the return the T'Wolves would get in a trade outweighs whatever benefit they get from bringing him off the bench. 

Jeremy Evans

Team: Utah Jazz

Position: SF/PF

Age: 24

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 2.1 points, 0.4 assists, 1.7 rebounds

There's just something about a young player showing off his ridiculous, jaw-dropping, mind-boggling hops in the Slam Dunk Contest that manages to earn said player a little bit of extra cash. 

When players are as athletic as Jeremy Evans, they're bound to at least have an offer sheet filled out during their restricted free agencies. Such is the case here. 

The problem is that there's no real reason for the Jazz to sign him as they don't have the spot in their depth chart necessary to offer him a bigger role. 

There's no way that he's beating out Paul Millsap or Derrick Favors at power forward, and he's been firmly entrenched behind Josh Howard, DeMarre Carroll and Gordon Hayward at small forward.

Eric Gordon

Team: New Orleans Hornets

Position: SG

Age: 23

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 20.6 points, 3.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds

It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Eric Gordon and the New Orleans Hornets completed a sign-and-trade so that the talented shooting guard could receive a max contract, and the downtrodden franchise could get something in return. 

As for where Gordon would go, well, I have absolutely no idea. 

Courtney Lee

Team: Houston Rockets

Position: Shooting guard

Age: 26

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 11.4 points, 1.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds

While Kevin Martin was sidelined, Courtney Lee played just well enough to draw some interest from teams in need of a solid shooting guard, but not quite well enough to make the Houston Rockets interested in retaining his services for another few years.

Not as a bench player at least. This all changes if Martin is traded to a different team.

But while the true starting shooting guard for this franchise was injured, Lee averaged 14.0 points, 1.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. Solid, but nothing stellar.  

Robin Lopez

Team: Phoenix Suns

Position: C

Age: 24

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 5.4 points, 0.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds

With the dearth of centers in the NBA right now, some team is bound to take a flier on the twin brother of Brook Lopez. 

Personally, the only way I'd offer Lopez a contract large enough that the Phoenix Suns wouldn't match it was if I got him confused with Brook. 

O.J. Mayo

Team: Memphis Grizzlies

Position: SG

Age: 24

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 12.6 points, 2.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds

Here's another situation where I strongly believe we're going to see a sign-and-trade. 

The following is taken from my article about players who will be traded this offseason: 

"

It seems like O.J. Mayo is almost traded each and every time there's a trade deadline. This year, he was almost dealt for Ray Allen and shipped off to Boston along with a draft pick. 

The problem is that Mayo's situation with the Memphis Grizzlies is doomed to fail down the road. For all the struggles he's endured during his three years in the league, Mayo is still a talented young player just waiting for the right situation. 

Something about Mayo's play also hints at a desire to play elsewhere. Whenever he's on the court, he simply acts like he wants to be the man. 

And with the Grizzlies, he most assuredly isn't. 

 

"

Darius Morris

Team: Los Angeles Lakers

Position: Point guard

Age: 21

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 2.4 points, 1.1 assists, 0.8 rebounds

It would be illogical for the Los Angeles Lakers to retain the services of Darius Morris at this point after failing to give him any chance to succeed during his rookie season out of Michigan. 

Before the season started, I was an advocate of just handing the keys of the Lakers offense (not the actual set that Kobe Bryant always keeps buried in his deep pockets) to Morris and letting him learn as he goes. 

However, the floor general found himself buried on the depth chart behind Derek Fisher— soon to become Ramon Sessions—and fellow rookie Andrew Goudelock. 

After averaging just 8.9 minutes per game during the regular season, chances are he's ready to go elsewhere. 

Terrence Williams

Team: Sacramento Kings

Position: SF

Age: 24

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 7.1 points, 2.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds

The former lottery pick from 2009 endured quite the tumultuous season, bouncing in between the Houston Rockets, the team's D-League affiliate and the Sacramento Kings.

He still has the prodigal skills that made him such a coveted prospect just three years ago, but Terrence Williams struggled throughout this most recent campaign no matter whose jersey he was putting on in the locker room. Closing the season with the Kings, he averaged just 8.8 points, 3.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. 

Williams may have shown enough flashes of promise to draw interest from other teams, but he's the guy out of these 10 who I'd bet stays if I had to predict.