NBA Free Agency 2012: Team by Team Needs and Predictions

NBA free agent season is upon us, and already we've seen some things that have made us scratch our heads.

Apparently, Steve Nash is worth $12 million a year, and Kevin Garnett is worth just under that, Gerald Wallace is worth $10 million a year. Umm...what?

Aside from that, we've seen Nic Batum come in and accept the "Underappreciated Wing Guy Who Gets a Ridiculous Restricted Free Agent Offer" award, but the deal still seems like it would be a good thing for Minnesota, but bad for Portland to match.

We've seen height come at a price, as usual, and no real stunners at this point, although some are coming.

However, what we really need to know is what each team needs to add through free agency, and who they're likely to add, so I've gone ahead and done that all for you guys.

For each team I've plucked out the biggest need, the maximum amount of money they can spend on a free agent this year and who they're going to pick up to fill that hole. (Side note: The maximum amount of money they can spend isn't necessarily what the selected free agent would sign for, just how much they can spend this year).

Atlanta Hawks

Biggest Need: Reliable bench scorer

Atlanta relied much too heavily on the three-point ball from guys on their bench this year. If they fell, they had a good game, if not, they didn't. They need someone who can be the centerpiece of the second unit.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Full mid-level exception, maximum of four-year approx. $21 million

Free Agent Solution: Michael Beasley

While Michael Beasley isn't necessarily going to come out and be the Sixth Man of the Year, he is someone who can be the focal point of the second five, and he's a step up over Tracy McGrady at this point.

Boston Celtics

Biggest Need: Bench scoring

Everyone seemed to talk about the LA Lakers deficiency in bench scoring last year, but Boston's 21.4 bench points per game didn't even surpass LA by a full point per game. They need someone, anyone to score the ball.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Depends on Ray Allen's free agency decision.

Free Agent Solution: O.J. Mayo

Boston will have at least the full mid-level exception to spend on a free agent, which should be enough to get the attention of a guy like O.J. Mayo, who can come in and get 15 points a night and take some pressure off that starting unit.

Brooklyn Nets

Biggest Need: Power forward

This is, of course, assuming that their real biggest need at point guard ends up re-signing with them, which seems to be likely at this point.

Brooklyn has relied on Kris Humphries for the past two seasons to be their rebounder and low-post scorer extraordinaire. He's done fine, but there's nothing really special about him down low.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Lots and lots of money

Free Agent Solution: Carl Landry

Carl Landry isn't quite the player Kris Humphries is around the boards, but he's a more efficient scorer, and he seems to work well with elite-level point guards. Given some more minutes, Landry should be able to produce well.

Charlotte Bobcats

Biggest Need: Veteran leadership

The Bobcats need everything, really, but what they need most is a guy who can come in and put a positive spin on everything. They need an old dude to level things out and calm things down, setting them in the right direction.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Approx. $10 million

Free Agent Solution: Antawn Jamison

Antawn Jamison is from Charlotte, he's looking for one last decent contract and he wants to retire close to home. Just get it over with and sign him already, Charlotte.

Chicago Bulls

Biggest Need: Derrick Rose fill-in

The Bulls have C.J. Watson under contract this year, and they could very well bring back John Lucas III, but what they need is someone who has been there before, who has run a team for a full season, should Rose's injury take longer to heal than expected.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Mini mid-level at $9.7 million

Free Agent Solution: Kirk Hinrich

This should be enough money to lure a guy like Kirk Hinrich over, and while he's not the sexiest fill-in for Derrick Rose, he's one guy who can come in and level things out. He's the basketball equivalent to Alka-Seltzer at this point.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Biggest Need: Wing scorer

Cleveland drafted Dion Waiters to fill in one of their wing spots, but there's still another one to fill and shots to be had from the perimeter.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Pretty much limitless

Free Agent Solution: Jamal Crawford

For some reason, Jamal Crawford has shown interest in signing with the Cavs, even though they aren't anywhere near needing a veteran winger to put them over the top. Still, Crawford fills a hole for Cleveland, so a temporary fix is better than none at all.

Dallas Mavericks

Biggest Need: Point guard

Dallas has a lot of eggs in the Deron Williams basket, and with the next best point guards looking like they'll be signing elsewhere (Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Jeremy Lin aren't coming to Dallas), if they miss out on D-Will, disaster could be coming.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Approx. $14 million currently, approx. $22 million should they use amnesty on Brendan Haywood (which is gonna happen).

Free Agent Solution: Ramon Sessions

It seems like Williams is going to fall back into place in Brooklyn, leaving Dallas alone licking their wounds, filling in with anyone they can grab, and Ramon Sessions looks like the last of the decent point guards out there.

Denver Nuggets

Biggest Need: Ty Lawson's backup

The Ty Lawson-Andre Miller tandem was a damn interesting one last season, as it gave two very different styles of play for the defense to worry about.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Depends on JaVale McGee's contract situation, but seemingly the full mid-level exception, maximum of four-year approx. $21 million

Free Agent Solution: Re-sign Andre Miller

Play it back, bring Andre back for a few more seasons and make a big push in the next few seasons to improve. This is a pretty frightening Denver team if they start playing some defense.

Detroit Pistons

Biggest Need: A power forward who plays like a power forward

Detroit has an interesting jumble of power forwards. Jason Maxiell is physical, but he's undersized, Jonas Jerebko plays like an oversized small forward, Charlie V should never play basketball again as far as I'm concerned and Vernon Macklin is still too green to come in and start.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Full mid-level exception, maximum of four-year approx. $21 million

Free Agent Solution: Kris Humphries

Kris Humphries is in no way an amazing power forward, but he is a real power forward. The dude can box out and score around the rim, while the rest of Detroit's power forwards can do one of those two.

Golden State Warriors

Biggest Need: A defensive anything

Golden State has one defensive-minded player now that Andrew Bogut is playing center for them. They'll need to fill in the rest of their lineup with guys who can at least stay in front of other guys.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Full mid-level exception, maximum of four-year approx. $21 million

Free Agent Solution: Grant Hill

Grant Hill gives Golden State their defensive-minded forward that they need in the middle there, but it also gives them some veteran presence, which they currently have none of.

Houston Rockets

Biggest Need: Center

The Houston Rockets just traded away their center for a slight improvement in draft position, but now they're sitting without a true center, and should this Dwight Howard thing fall through (which it has), they'll be left without a true center (which they have been).

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Approx. $12 million.

Free Agent Solution: Omer Asik

Houston offered Omer Asik a ridiculous amount of money ($25 million over three years) for a guy who averaged three points and five rebounds last year, but that's the price of height these days.

Chicago would put themselves deep into the luxury tax by matching their offer, so it seems like Asik could be the newest member of the Rockets.

Indiana Pacers

Biggest Need: Guard off the bench

Indiana is missing a real go-to scorer for sure, but they also have some scoring deficiencies from their bench, where they ranked in the bottom third in the league in points per game.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Varies depending on Roy Hibbert deal

Free Agent Solution: Jason Terry

Indiana should be able to afford Jason Terry with or without the HIbbert deal, and with a guy like him off the bench they have one of the most confident shooters in the game and a guy who has been a sixth man on a championship team. That's two birds with one stone right there, guys.

Los Angeles Clippers

Biggest Need: Big man who can score

Los Angeles struggled mightily late in games when Blake Griffin was locked in with the other team's best big man and was playing alongside either Kenyon Martin, DeAndre Jordan or Reggie Evans, all of whom couldn't put the ball in the hoop from more than 10 feet away if their lives depended on it.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Full mid-level exception, maximum of four-year approx. $21 million

Free Agent Solution: Boris Diaw

Diaw had a resurgence this season with the Spurs, which should mean he'll get slightly overpaid and San Antonio will let him go. Still, he brings a big body, great passing and a deep-ball threat from a guy who can legitimately play center.

Los Angeles Lakers

Biggest Need: Depth. Depth. Depth.

The Lakers need someone, anyone who can come in and score off the bench. The only problem is that they have very little money to come in and spend on the best scorers who would come off the bench.

It seems to me that they need to make a bit of a gamble here.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Mini mid-level at $9.7 million

Free Agent Solution: Gerald Green

I can feel the upset stares from here. But the Gerald Green we saw for half a year with New Jersey last season is a different Gerald Green from the past, it just has to be.

This Gerald Green was taking wise threes, taking shots in the flow of the offense and trying on defense. Green is a different man, and he could help a good team, unless he reverts back to his old self and doesn't.

Memphis Grizzlies

Biggest Need: Backup point guard

Mike Conley was the point guard of Memphis' top 12 lineups last season and 16 of their top 20, which isn't surprising, he's a great point guard. However, with Jeremy Pargo as the main backup there's not much that can be said good about the Grizzlies after him at the point guard spot.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Full mid-level exception, maximum of four-year approx. $21 million

Free Agent Solution: Delonte West

What does Delonte West bring? Well, he's a bit of a risk, as always, because of his on-court issues, but he's a smart defender, he can shoot the ball and he's always playing as hard as he can. Having him as a backup point guard gives Memphis one of the top backups in the NBA.

Miami Heat

Biggest Need: Wing scorer who is more than a shooter

With James Jones, Shane Battier and Mike Miller as their main wingers off the bench, the Heat were more or less immobile on the offensive end.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Mini mid-level at $9.7 million

Free Agent Solution: Rudy Fernandez

Rudy Fernandez might not be Dwyane Wade when cutting to the rim, but he can be a cutter, which is more than can be said for guys like Jones, Miller and Battier. Plus, he can shoot the three ball, which is always a good thing.

Milwaukee Bucks

Biggest Need: Power forward

The Bucks added a center in Samuel Dalembert after they were left without a center when Andrew Bogut got hurt last season, but they still need some big men to size up that roster.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Approx. $9 million

Free Agent Solution: Kenyon Martin

Kenyon Martin brings some nasty to any team he comes to, and that's something you can't really say the Milwaukee Bucks have at this point. They have Luc Richard Mbah a Moute to play some good defense, otherwise they're pretty deficient. Kenyon Martin won't bring a bushel of points with him, but he'll bring some cheap defense.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Biggest Need: Shooting guard

Minnesota has been looking for a wing player who can shoot and cut to the rim for what seems like a decade now, drafting winger after winger hoping that anything will land. It's time to just fill it in in free agency.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Full mid-level exception, maximum of four-year approx. $21 million

Free Agent Solution: Leandro Barbosa

Barbosa showed that he can play for a playoff-bound team even after playing in a basketball wasteland like Toronto for a few years.

He can shoot the long-range ball and cut to the rim, which is exactly what Minny needs at this point.

New Orleans Hornets

Biggest Need: Legitimate small forward

New Orleans almost has an entire starting five that they can look at and be proud of, they just need a guy to fill in the 3-spot, as Al-Farouq Aminu looks to be little more than a distraction standing over in the corner at this point.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Pretty much limitless

Free Agent Solution: Alonzo Gee

He may be a stretch on the "legitimate" front, but Alonzo Gee is an up-and-coming small forward with a lot of upside and could be wrestled away from Cleveland for less than imagined.

Gee is a great athlete, which makes him a pretty good scorer and rebounder at this point in his career.

New York Knicks

Biggest Need: Guard

The Knicks have a few point guards who can fill in that role, but the guys they have playing shooting guard for them at this point just didn't get the job done last year. They need someone who has some experience winning games at least coming off the bench in that spot.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Mini mid-level at $9.7 million

Free Agent Solution: DeShawn Stevenson

He's not compelling on offense by any means, but they've got guys who can score. DeShawn Stevenson would come in and team back up with Tyson Chandler, elbow some guys in the guts and give the Knicks a little bit of an edge.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Biggest Need: Low-post scoring

The Oklahoma City Thunder just couldn't get the low-post game involved in the Finals against Miami, settling for jumpers all series long as shots continued to lip out.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Full mid-level exception, maximum of four-year approx. $21 million

Free Agent Solution: Spencer Hawes

Hawes may not be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the post, but he's got more of a plan with the ball in his hands than Kendrick Perkins. Hawes would be a good guy to throw in there with Perkins to tag team the center spot, as he's more physical than Nick Collison and capable of scoring in the post.

Orlando Magic

Biggest Need: Athletic forward

Orlando needs anything at this point to help their cause, but what they really need is a guy who can score on the wing and cut to the rim. It wouldn't hurt if he played a little defense either.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Mini mid-level at $9.7 million

Free Agent Solution: Matt Barnes

While the Matt Barnes of today is not the Matt Barnes that played with Orlando back in 2010, he's still got some athleticism to show off. Bring him back and see if anything good comes of it. Heck, maybe Dwight Howard will think it's 2010 again and forget that he wanted to be traded.

Philadelphia 76ers

Biggest Need: Big man

Philadelphia always seems to have some great backup big men on their roster, they just don't have that hammer they can go to in the post to score 12-15 points a game and spread the defense out.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Full mid-level exception, maximum of four-year approx. $21 million

Free Agent Solution: Chris Kaman

The 76ers desperately need a big man who can spread out the defense and open things up for their little fellas who like to sprint to the rim. Who better than Mr. 17-Footer, Chris Kaman?

Phoenix Suns

Biggest Need: A centerpiece

Steve Nash is leaving, and the Phoenix Suns need someone, anyone to come in to potentially save their team. 

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Pretty much limitless

Free Agent Solution: Greg Oden

Sure, they have Marcin Gortat, but he's always going to be just that. Greg Oden, however, will come cheap and give them some hope of having a great player again one day.

After all, we've seen that medical staff in Phoenix work some miracles before, why couldn't they spread some good ju-ju over Greg Oden's knees.

Portland Trail Blazers

Biggest Need: A real center

The Portland Trail Blazers desperately need a center to bump LaMarcus Aldridge back down to his natural position at power forward, but they won't be prying Roy Hibbert away from Indiana and pickings are slim after him.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Approx. $14 million

Free Agent Solution: Ian Mahinmi

What can I say, Portland fans, there just aren't centers out there. Ian Mahinmi has some potential and will act as a nice fill-in for now, but there's nobody out there who'll be a game-changer.

Sacramento Kings

Biggest Need: Maturity and defense

Sacramento ranked last in the league in points allowed last season and 34th in the league in maturity per player. Yep, somehow four teams who aren't even in the NBA jumped ahead of them there. I'm still trying to figure that one out.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Approx. $12 million

Free Agent Solution: Marcus Camby

Marcus Camby is a skinny old dude, but he can play defense and he's got some veteran know-how to offer.

San Antonio Spurs

Biggest Need: Big man help

The Spurs need someone who can come in and pair with Tim Duncan at power forward who can hold his own on the court enough so Greg Popovich doesn't have to yank him out after two dumb fouls and put Duncan back in (looking at you Tiago Splitter).

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Full mid-level exception, maximum of four-year approx. $21 million

Free Agent Solution: Jordan Hill

Jordan Hill just seems like on of those "Spurs" guys. He looks like an energy man on the surface, but he's been budding for the past few seasons, threatening to break out. San Antonio will sign him, he'll shoot 54 percent and average 10 points and seven boards off the bench, hustle and flow with the team and San Antonio's front office will continue to be a team of NBA soothsayers. 

Toronto Raptors

Biggest Need: Steve Nash

The Raptors need a Steve Nash who can come in and Steve Nash where nobody else in the league could hope to Steve Nash quite like Steve Nash.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Approx. $18 million after Jose Calderon amnesty.

Free Agent Solution: Steve Nash

It just feels good, doesn't it? This has to go down, not for Toronto, not for Canada, this must happen for the entire world, and it seems like it will.

Utah Jazz

Biggest Need: A winger

Utah needs some swagger, they need some confidence, they need a guy who can come in at shooting guard or small forward and have a terrible game one day and then score 20 the next.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Full mid-level exception, maximum of four-year approx. $21 million

Free Agent Solution: Nick Young

The Jazz don't really have that player who will come in with more confidence than he's worth to put up shots without thinking, but in a good way.

Young puts up shots without thinking in a bad way at this point, but it seems like he just needs a bit of veteran leadership and he could be not thinking for the good of his team, rather than the bad.

Washington Wizards

Biggest Need: Size

Washington just needs some guys to fluff up their rotation who can come in, give off some energy and rebound.

Max Free Agent Contract Offer: Full mid-level exception, maximum of four-year approx. $21 million

Free Agent Solution: Lou Amundson

There aren't many big men on the market worth a damn this year, but at least Lou Amundson can come in and grab some boards, get the team riled up and have a goofy looking ponytail. He's basically me but six inches taller.

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