Los Angeles Lakers: Luol Deng and the five worst NBA contracts

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1. Chandler Parsons — Four years, $94.4 million

Yikes, what were the Memphis Grizzlies thinking? I understand that Chandler Parsons had a coming out party in Houston and continued to play good into Dallas, but nowhere in Parson’s good run was he ever worth anything close to over $23 million a year. At least with Luol Deng he was consistently solid and an all-star, Parsons was a four-year breakout that cashed out.

It is contracts like this that are going to make the Memphis Grizzlies the worst team in the league in two, three years time. Parsons, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol combine for $74.3 million of the Grizzlies cap space; which is 73 percent of their total cap.

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And like I said, hindsight is 20/20 with these kinds of things, but what were the Grizzlies thinking. Parsons was better than all of the centers on this list, I will give him that, but the Grizzlies were willing to pay him over $94 million after averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists the year prior.

Yeah, that is good, but how in the world is it worth that large of a contract? Seriously? This obviously has come back to bite the Grizzlies as Parsons has regressed back to a replacement level player in his two years in Memphis.

Parsons is averaging 7.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game with the Grizzlies. Even better? Parsons only played 34 games last season and has played just 27 this year; starting just seven.

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Hopefully, Parsons can return fully healthy and at least give the Grizzlies something to be happy about in the last two years of his deal. They are going to need it, especially with what they are paying him.

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