The 1st annual Jimmy Awards: 10 worst contracts in the NBA

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 12: Joakim Noah #13 of the New York Knicks celebrates during a time out in the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden on January 12, 2017 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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DALLAS, TX – JANUARY 22: Luol Deng #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Center on January 22, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

8. Luol Deng – three-years, $54 million remaining

Are we absolutely sure that if you took Andre Iguodala off the Warriors and replaced him with Deng, Golden State would notice the difference?

Of course they would. But admit it – you had to think about the answer for 2.75 seconds before coming to the obvious conclusion.

If Deng was making half his current salary and was signed for one less season, he’d arguably pass the Nene test – Danny LeRoux’s name for judging whether a player is worth his current contract. If Deng had two more years at $9 million per, there are probably a half dozen teams that would happily trade a protected second rounder for him, which is more than most players on this list can say.

Still, the Lakers are as desperate for cap space this summer as any team in the modern era. Given that context, Deng has to make the top ten here.

When LA deals him (a move that will likely cost them Brandon Ingram), they’ll be losing a player who actually made them better – albeit slightly – when he was on the floor last year.

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