NBA Free Agency 2012: 5 Free Agents Who Made the Right Decision

The one thing I love about NBA free agency season is when players pick their respective teams for the right reasons.  For example, let me take you back a couple of years to the famous Summer of LeBron. 

Another free agent that year was Dwyane Wade, who received multiple offers from many teams, yet he chose to stay in Miami and continue his legacy with the Heat.

Just a day later, LeBron James went to Miami for the wrong reason, simply to go to a stacked team that would make it easy for him to win a ring, and he got his wish this season.

This summer, however, most free agents have not taken the same road that James did and have picked their teams (new or old) on one of two factors: ability to win and having a key role. 

Let's have a look at five such individuals who made excellent choices.

No. 5: Nick Young

While a good scorer, Young's greatest strength is his three-point shooting.  In a season split between the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers, the former USC Trojan shot 36 percent from long range and averaged 14.2 points per contest.

Thus, when the Philadelphia 76ers decided that top sixth man and leading scorer Lou Williams was too rich for their blood, they gave Young a call.  Shortly thereafter, he signed a one-year deal worth about $6 million to come play in the City of Brotherly Love.

Just how productive Young will be in Philadelphia coach Doug Collins' system is debatable.  He'll either be a top sixth man or just a shooter.  Either way, he perfectly fills the void left by Williams and should be a top contributor from the start of the season.

No. 4: Gerald Wallace

The then-New Jersey Nets acquired Wallace from the Portland Trail Blazers at last year's trade deadline, and he fit in almost immediately.  In just 16 games with the team, Wallace averaged 15.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and shot 38 percent from long range.

Though he surely would have gotten some great contract offers from a few teams in the market for a pest who can also score effectively, it's clear that Wallace enjoyed his time on the team. 

On July 2, just after free agency began, he agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal with the Nets and will help them open their new arena in Brooklyn.

Given how much help the team needs on defense, this will be a move that Wallace will not regret.

No. 3: Goran Dragic

Dragic started the season as the backup point guard in Houston and once Kyle Lowry got hurt, he stepped right into the starting role.  He starred so much that he managed to sign a lucrative free agent contract not too long ago.

Over the final two months of this past season, Dragic averaged just under 17 points per game to go with 7.5 assists and even 1.8 steals.  Once he hit the open market, he signed a four-year, $34 million deal to return to the Phoenix Suns.

Seeing as how the Suns are a run-and-gun team whose main focus is offense, Dragic will fit right in and start earning that contract immediately.  In terms of a replacement for Steve Nash, team management essentially knocked the ball out of the park.

No. 2: Marcus Camby

Ever since being taken second overall out of UMass in 1996, Camby has evolved into one of the most dominant centers in the NBA. 

The three-year, $13.2 million deal he just signed with the New York Knicks seems a bit much given his being 38 years old, but Camby still has good size at 6'11", 235 pounds and can play extremely tough defense.

Yet, despite my feelings on the financial aspects of his deal, it's just good to see the man back in a Knicks uniform. 

He spent four seasons with the team and was instrumental in getting them to the NBA Finals in 1999, only to be traded away for Grade A bust Antonio McDyess in 2002.

Now that he's in the twilight of his career, it's nice to see him back where he spent some of his better early years.

No. 1: Steve Nash

Nash is 38 years old, an age during which most athletes are on the decline and thinking about retirement.  Such is not the case with Nash, who signed a three-year deal worth $27 million to take his talents to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Long story short, this is a perfect move for both parties.  Nash finally gives the Lakers the true point guard they have needed for years and on his end, he gets to spend what could be the last few years of his career playing on a team that has the great potential to be NBA champions.

Simply put, Nash went where he knew he could win.  Given how the only other offers he had were from the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors, I think it's safe to say that the man made the right choice.