NBA Free Agents 2012: 5 High-Risk, High-Reward Targets for Desperate Teams

Balancing the risk with the reward is always an intriguing part of the NBA free agency period as teams try to figure out just how much they're willing to spend on unproven or aging talent. 

Sometimes the risks pay off and a new star arrives in town. Other times, a massive amount of the salary cap is spent on a worthless player. 

For teams looking to jump up in the NBA standings during the 2012-2013 season, risks must be taken. Sitting back idly and making all the safe calls doesn't usually lead to a leap forward in the rebuilding process. 

These five players are the high-risk, high-reward targets in the 2012 free agency class. 

Goran Dragic

The Houston Rockets' backup point guard took full advantage of the injury to Kyle Lowry and used the temporary starting job not only to carve out a larger role for himself throughout the 2011-2012 season, but also to become a much more attractive target in free agency. 

From March 10th until the end of the season, a span of 26 games, Dragic was the starting point guard and averaged 18.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game.

Clearly, the former second round pick who just completed his fourth season in the NBA has what it takes to be an above-average floor general in the NBA.

Now, it's just a question of whether he can produce at that level for the duration of a season. Going into the 2011-2012 campaign, Dragic had only started eight games. 

Kevin Garnett

Mother Nature and Father Time can be a deadly couple when they work together. The clutches of old age are inescapable and can only be held off for so long. 

Kevin Garnett appeared to be on the verge of washed up at points throughout this past season, but he lit it up during the postseason to turn back the clocks and play like The Big Ticket of old. The power forward masquerading as a center was the primary reason that the Boston Celtics were able to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. 

KG can still play like a premier big man in this league, but how much longer can he keep it up? At some point, the wear and tear on his wheels has to take effect. 

Ersan Ilyasova

One of the contenders for Most Improved Player of the Year, Ersan Ilyasova had never started as many games as he did during the 2011-2012 season, even though it was a shortened one. The power forward burst onto the national scene with a 29-point, 25-rebound game and never looked back. 

Using that game as a starting point and the end of the season as a stopping point, Ilyasova started all 31 games, averaging 16.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest on a hyper-efficient 54.1 percent shooting from the field. He could hit in the paint, make his free throws and the range on his jumper extended to the three-point line. 

It appears as though Ilyasova, going into his fifth season, will be a contributor for a long time, but he's still a risky pick because he's unproven over the course of a full season. 

Lou Williams

One of the better sixth men in the NBA this past season, Lou Williams thrived in his role as the offensive spark plug off the Philadelphia 76ers' bench. Can he do the same if he's not back in the same role? 

Williams, who officially opted out of his contract, averaged 14.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game during this past regular season. Despite his gaudy scoring numbers, he still has a lot of room for improvement. 

The problem here is that some team is going to see the 14.9 points and not see that he shot only 40.7 percent, which, scarily enough, is an improvement. Scorers are valuable assets but efficient scorers are even more valuable. 

Williams is only 25 years old and still has time to avoid the shot-jacker path, but he's going to have to do so quickly in order to avoid becoming a free agency bust. 

Nick Young

Traded from the Washington Wizards to the Los Angeles Clippers in the middle of the season, Nick Young is fairly similar to Lou Williams. He's just not as good now and he's got more potential. 

Young is another inefficient scorer and he's coming off a campaign that saw him average 14.2 points per game on 40.3 percent shooting. Once he landed on the Clippers, his numbers declined to 9.7 points per game on 39.4 percent shooting. 

When Young, or Swaggy P, starts to catch fire though, great things happen. Those great things may even include one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history. However, when he's not hitting, he doesn't stop shooting. 

Young's potential on offense is through the roof, but you have to know what you're getting into by signing him.