NBA: 5 Restricted Free Agents That Teams Must Re-Sign At All Costs
By John Hugar
Gerald Henderson of the Charlotte Bobcats is one of many restricted free agents that need to be retained by their current teams. Flickr.com photo by B. Wendell Jones
The offseason is sooner than people think and most teams are already planning what key moves they want to make. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some restricted free agents. For those who don’t know, when a free agent is restricted, any team can offer him a contract, but his current team has the right to match the deal. Here are some restricted free agents that desperately need to be re-signed by their current teams.
5. Eric Maynor, Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers have their point guard of the future in Damian Lillard, but they’re going to need some depth if they want to be a playoff team. This is why retaining Maynor’s services is essential. He was a key reserve for the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2010-11 season and while he was replaced by the younger Reggie Jackson, he’s still an effective backup guard. If the Blazers keep him, they can avoid running Lillard into the ground and keep a rare competent player on their second unit.
4. Gerald Henderson, Charlotte Bobcats
After being solid-but-unspectacular for years, Henderson exploded during the final months of the 2012-13 season, averaging 18.9 points per game after the All-Star break. Henderson’s excellent play gives the impression that he and Kemba Walker could become an electrifying backcourt in the coming seasons. The Bobcats are a growing young team without a great number of players they can truly feel confident about. Henderson is one of those players, however, and if the Cats are smart, they’ll sign him to a long-term deal.
3. Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks
They lost Joe Johnson and they still made the playoffs. This year, they’ll likely also lose Josh Smith. That would leave them with a relatively thin supporting cast behind Al Horford, which is why keeping Teague is necessary if the Hawks want to have any hope of making the playoffs next year. Teague is one of the best point guards who no one ever talks about and with Lou Williams returning next year, keeping him will allow the Hawks to have a strong backcourt. Teague will likely be on the receiving end of some enticing offers, but the Hawks need him as a piece to build around (along with Horford) in the future. If they keep, they can remain among the contenders in the East. If not, they could fall into the cellar pretty quickly.
2. Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks might not be a great team right now (as their playoff performance against the Miami Heat has indicated), but they have some talent and they could be a tough team for years to come. Jennings isn’t the best shooter in the world, but he finds ways to put points on board and, along with Monta Ellis, is half of the highest-scoring backcourt in the NBA. The combination of Jennings and Ellis’ relentless scoring and the ridiculously tough defense of Larry Sanders gives the Bucks talent on both sides of the ball. They haven’t put everything together yet, but if they keep Jennings, it would be interesting to see what the Bucks can develop into.
1. Nikola Pekovic, Minnesota Timberwolves
One of the better centers in the game, except he rarely gets a lot of press because all of the Timberwolves talk centers around Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio. Pekovic is primarily known for being one of the more intimidating players in the league, but he’s quite skilled and if the Timberwolves keep him, it will be fun to see what he and Love can do together for a full season. Considering how good we know Pekovic is now, it’s amazing that as recently as 2012, he was sitting on the bench in favor of Darko Milicic. Luckily, the Timberwolves realized their error, and gave Pekovic more minutes, which allowed to blossom. Now, they just have to be smart enough to keep him.