7 NBA Free Agents Who Are Perfect Complementary Pieces to Title Contenders

The biggest fish have been flushed from the NBA free agency pool for some time now. So, too, have most of the ballers, as seafood floating between the deep, dark waters and those on the shallow end, so to speak. 

But while most of the names left are equivalent to those of guppies in the world of basketball these days, there are still plenty of players worth poking and prodding at for those teams with roster spots to fill and only fleeting scraps of financial flexibility with which to work.

For those squads on the cusp of title contention, the picking's are even slimmer. Fat chance you'll see a franchise risk that has a carefully-constructed, championship-caliber chemistry to sign some talented knucklehead (i.e. Gilbert Arenas, Andray Blatche and Martell Webster, to name a few).

Instead, expect those in legitimate pursuit of the Larry O'Brien Trophy to inquire about the availability of these seven men still in search of employment, each of whom offers a particular skill (or two) that would fit nicely in the context of a well-oiled basketball machine.

Kenyon Martin

Every title contender could use a wily veteran off the bench, and few veterans are wilier than Kenyon Martin. Injuries have long since robbed K-Mart of his signature explosiveness, but they have done little to damage his size (6'9", 234 pounds), his toughness, his hustle on the boards or his ability to body up defensively.

The 12-year veteran is well-versed in the ways of playoff success. He helped the New Jersey Nets claim back-to-back Eastern Conference crowns (in 2002 and 2003), was a key member of the frontcourt rotation when the Denver Nuggets reached the Western Conference Finals in 2009, and he also proved to be a productive member of the up-and-coming Los Angeles Clippers after completing a stint in China.

At 34, K-Mart shouldn't be expected to play more than 20 minutes per game (if that), and on the right team, he won't need to. Whichever team finds K-Mart's modicum of mojo to its liking will be that much better off for having signed him.

Mickael Pietrus

If Kenyon Martin were about three inches shorter, 20 pounds lighter and could shoot the three, he'd probably be Mickael Pietrus.

Like K-Mart, Pietrus just ain't what he used to be after sustaining all sorts of athleticism-sapping injuries over the span of a nine-year NBA career.

When healthy, though, Pietrus is as dangerous a streak shooter as you'll find on a bench, or, in this case, atop a free-agent scrap heap. He's more than capable of shooting 35-40 percent on threes and playing solid perimeter defense in a reserve role.

Even (and perhaps, especially) on a postseason hopeful, as he did with the "We Believe" Golden State Warriors, the 2010 Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic and the 2012 Eastern Conference runner-up Boston Celtics.

Pietrus has expressed a desire to stay in Boston, but if the C's can't make room for him, someone else surely will. 

Derek Fisher

Any team looking for a well-traveled champion and respected leader to serve as a de facto assistant coach would be wise to offer Derek Fisher the veteran's minimum.

As a five-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, Fisher has a keen understanding of what it takes for a team to go from being merely good to historically great. Of his 16 NBA seasons, 14 have ended at some point in the postseason, including eight in the Finals.

And while Fisher, at 38, is no longer effective when logging heavy minutes, he's more than capable of coming off of the bench and hitting those signature, high-arching shots (particularly in crunch time) out of which he's fashioned such a memorable career.

Physical deterioration aside, Fish's vocal cords remain as effective as ever. He's long been lauded for his leadership, be it as a floor general on the court, an elder statesman in the locker room or a high-ranking representative on behalf of his fellow players in labor negotiations. 

Those sorts of intangibles are hard to come by in even trace amounts. Yet Fisher, a consummate professional, owns them in droves and knows how to apply them to the benefit of any championship situation.

Jodie Meeks

Jodie Meeks is about 13 years Fisher's junior and has all of three playoff series under his belt, but skill-wise, he's just the ticket that some title contenders are looking for.

That one skill? Shooting. At his best, Meeks is a streak-shooting assassin, who's liable to go off for 20 points or more when his hand is hot.

Surely, a team deprived of perimeter marksmanship—like, say, the Los Angeles Lakers—would save a few shekels to bring Meeks aboard. So long as his role is restricted, and he has the green light to shoot, Meeks can be an asset to any team in need of someone to stretch opposing defense and open up the floor.

Michael Redd

Maybe you prefer your bombardiers older, more experienced and a bit more injury-prone.

In that case, look no further than Michael Redd. The former All-Star swingman for the Milwaukee Bucks enjoyed a mini-renaissance with the Phoenix Suns last season, averaging 8.2 points in 15.1 minutes as just the latest in a long line of Steve Nash's veteran sidekicks.

Even after twice tearing the ACL and MCL in his left knee, Redd set the scoring column ablaze from time to time, as he did during a 25-point outburst against the Houston Rockets this past March.

Redd would do well to follow Nash to LA, where the Lakers remain on the prowl for a shooting guard to serve as Kobe Bryant's backup.

If not, there's bound to be at least another contender or two out there with a cushy sharpshooting job that Redd could fill in a pinch.

Tracy McGrady

As far as "Golden Oldies" are concerned, none is quite as likely to induce a bout of basketball nostalgia as is Tracy McGrady.

The seven-time All-Star is back on the prowl after a one-year stint as a reserve with the Atlanta Hawks, his fourth team in the last three seasons. The limits of his own body, in partnership with modern medicine, have left T-Mac a shell of his former self, at best.

Still, at 33, "Half Man, Half a Season" has plenty of basketball wisdom to pass down to the younger generation and can still get off his signature, rise-and-fire jump shot in effective order when called upon.

And, for his part, T-Mac is probably itching to partake in a deep playoff run, after going 15 years in the NBA without so much as sniffing the second round.

This, on second thought, might not make T-Mac the wisest investment for any team hoping to overcome its own championship hex.

Shelden Williams

Shelden Williams isn't, has never been and likely will never be an All-Star at any point in his NBA career, though that shouldn't detract from his potential value as a role player on the bench of a contending team.

Williams is essentially a bulky, undersized center who knows how to throw his weight around on defense and has the strength to rip down rebounds in traffic.

Nothing fancy. Just good, ol' fashioned brute strength.

He averaged career-highs in minutes (22.0) and rebounds (6.0) with the Nets last season, and if placed into the proper role, he could ostensibly be a reasonable facsimile of Reggie Evans on a quality squad.

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