Luol Deng
Although Luol Deng had a very short stretch during the season where he played well, he was horrible for the majority of the season. He averaged career-lows in points, rebounds, assists, field-goal percentage, and free-throw percentage and is now shut down for the season. The 12-year veteran quickly declined this season, yet he is getting paid $18 million per year. For the numbers he put up, Deng was not worth it for the Los Angeles Lakers. Maybe if he stays, he turns things around next season, but he was the biggest waste of money for the Lakers this year.
Timofey Mozgov
Just like Deng, Timofey Mozgov didn’t exactly make his mark with the Los Angeles Lakers either. The big man was brought in for his defensive presence and rebounding, but he failed to impress and is also shut down for the year. Sure, he may have had a couple games here and there where he produced well, but Mozgov was generally been outplayed by most of his opponents. For a starting center, his numbers were abysmal, and his presence was barely noticeable. Another failed project that cost the Lakers a ton of cash.
Solomon Hill
When the New Orleans Pelicans signed Solomon Hill for $12 million annually, people were surprised. Even though the Pelicans have been trying hard to give Hill a significant role, he has simply not been producing.
In 76 games and 67 starts, he has averaged a measly seven points and 3.8 rebounds on 38.8 percent shooting, definitely not starter-worthy numbers. Even though he has played better in the second half of the season, $12 million per year is still not worth it. If he doesn’t show any improvement next season, the Pelicans will be stuck with his insane deal for another three years.
Miles Plumlee
Is Miles Plumlee even in the league? After signing a $52 million contract, it seemed as if he was going to become a crucial part of the Milwaukee Bucks’ continuous development, but he was instead hit with plenty of DNP-CDs and eventually traded to the Charlotte Hornets. Even as a member of Charlotte, Plumlee’s averages have been laughable and he has been injured for the most part.
Plumlee has played in 42 games this season, averaging 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10 minutes per game. Sadly, he is getting paid $13 million annually to put up such a depressing average. How disappointing and a complete waste.
Chandler Parsons
When Chandler Parsons was signed, the Memphis Grizzlies were fully aware of his injury risk. He started the season recovering from off-season knee surgery, and when he returned, he almost immediately sat out another handful of games with a bone bruise in his knee. Now Parsons is rocking a suit and tie again, sitting on the sidelines with yet another season-ending knee injury, making him the biggest disappointment of the year. It’s not like he helped the team when he was healthy.
The 28-year-old merely averaged 6.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 34 games and shot 33.8 percent from the field. $94 million for a guy that has been worse than half the players in the league. What a world we live in.
