During the offseason last year, the Los Angeles Lakers notably gave big contracts to both Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov. As the salary cap went up, Deng and Mozgov were two of the biggest beneficiaries of the jump.
Even though Deng has been an All-Star in the past, he clearly was a player on the decline when he left Chicago a few years ago. Despite this, the Lakers gave Deng a four-year, $72 million deal. For the next three seasons, the Lakers will be on the hook for about $18 million per season for Deng.