NBA Free Agents 2012: 5 Restricted Free Agents Who Will Be Switching Teams

The 2012 NBA offseason is off to a crazy start, and there are still plenty of interesting players on the market, headlined by a talented group of restricted free agents.

For all of you amateur fans out there, a restricted free agent is subject to his team's Right of First Refusal, which means that team can match any offer made to the player and keep the player. The team has three days to match the offer once it is made to the player.

If the restricted free agent's team does not make a qualifying offer on them, then the team loses the Right of First Refusal and the player becomes an unrestricted free agent.

For example, the Memphis Grizzlies decided not to extend a qualifying offer to shooting guard O.J. Mayo, who now becomes one of the more intriguing unrestricted free agents on the market.

Most restricted free agents end up back with their original team, but sometimes a team simply can't afford to match an offer sheet or don't want the player on their team anymore.

Here is a look at five current restricted free agents who could be switching teams this offseason. 

Landry Fields, New York Knicks

This is probably the same face that Landry Fields made when he heard about the offer that the Toronto Raptors made for him on July 3.

In an attempt to keep Steve Nash away from the New York Knicks, the Raptors offered Fields a 3-year, $20 million deal.

To put this in perspective, the Boston Celtics just signed former Sixth Man of the Year and NBA Champion Jason Terry to a 3-year, $15 million deal.

Unfortunately for Toronto, this move backfired horribly when Nash and the Phoenix Suns agreed to a sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Knicks are certainly not going to match the Raptors' ridiculous offer to retain a player who averaged just 8.8 points and shot a sad 25.6 percent from three-point range.

Landry Fields has played his last game for the New York Knicks, and I'm sure he will be glad to take his $20 million north of the border.

Ryan Anderson, Orlando Magic

Ryan Anderson became a restricted free agent on June 28th when the Orlando Magic tendered a qualifying offer to him.

The 6'10" sharp-shooting power forward enjoyed a breakout season last year, averaging career highs with 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

First-year Magic GM Rob Hennigan has his hands full this offseason with the Dwight Howard saga, and matching the offers that Anderson is receiving might be too much for the team to take on.

According to Alex Kennedy at Hoops World, teams are offering Anderson frontloaded contracts that could make it very difficult for the Magic to match.

Anderson met with the Sacramento Kings on July 2nd according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, and the NBA's Most Improved Player last season is a Sacramento native.

While there is unending speculation on whether Dwight Howard will be with the Orlando Magic next season or not, it is becoming increasingly likely that Ryan Anderson will not be.

Brandon Rush, Golden State Warriors

While Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers seemed intent on keeping Brandon Rush, according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle, it may not be as easy as he thought.

Rush has been one of the more underrated players in the NBA for a while now, and the 27-year old averaged 9.8 points per game coming off the bench last season.

The Los Angeles Lakers are interested in signing Rush to their mid-level exception, according to Mike Bresnehan of the Los Angeles Times.

According to Mike Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com, the Raptors are another team that could offer Rush a deal, and the Warriors might not be able to match if the offer is in the $5 million range.

While GM Boby Myers considers Brandon Rush a part of the Golden State Warriors future, they might not have the financial capacity to keep him.

Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers

Nicolas Batum is another player who had a breakout year in 2011-2012 and could become too pricey for the Portland Trail Blazers to retain.

According to Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press, Batum and the Minnesota Timberwolves have already agreed on an offer sheet of 4-years, $45 million with bonuses that could make it worth up to $50 million.

It appears that Batum would love the opportunity to play in Minnesota with exciting point guard Ricky Rubio, and that he would prefer the Blazers to not match the offer.

The 6'8" 23-year-old shot very well from three-point range last year along with averaging 13.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

While it may take a sign-and-trade to take place between the Trail Blazers and Timberwolves, it appears that Nicolas Batum could be switching teams this offseason.

Eric Gordon, New Orleans Hornets

Perhaps the most high-profile restricted free agent this offseason, Eric Gordon supposedly is very intent on leaving New Orleans as relations with the Hornets have gone south.

The 23-year-old superstar signed a four-year, $58 million offer sheet with the Phoenix Suns on July 3rd, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard.

The most intriguing aspect of this news, however, came from a prepared statement by Gordon which was reported by AZCentral.com's Paul Coro, in which Gordon stated "Phoenix is just where my heart is now".

While Gordon only played in nine games last season after coming off a knee injury, he averaged 20.6 points per game and is considered one of the brightest young stars in the league.

According to Sam Amick of SI.com, the Hornets are expected to match the Suns' offer despite Gordon's statements.

With rookies Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers expected to play big roles in the Hornets' future, an unhappy Gordon is not a good thing to have in the New Orleans locker room.

Phoenix has some interesting assets to offer New Orleans, and Gordon could get his wish and be shipped to the desert in a sign-and-trade situation.

Eric Gordon is one of the best young shooting guards in the NBA, and the disgruntled star could be on the move over the next couple of weeks.