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5. Patty Mills, San Antonio Spurs ($10,714,286)

When the San Antonio Spurs re-signed Patty Mills to a four-year, $50 contract with an escalating structure this offseason, it seemed like a sound decision. And it may still become one in time, since this model organization so rarely misfires.

But to this point in 2017-18, Mills hasn't justified that faith, instead regressing heavily during a time in which he was expected to pick up the proverbial slack while Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard were both missing action with quadriceps injuries.

Mills has never been a strong defender, so his lack of stopping ability shouldn't be even remotely surprising during his age-29 season. But the diminished shooting output is concerning, since the career 43.2/39.1/83.8 shooter is currently slashing 36.3/33.6/91.3.

That last number is encouraging, since his success at the stripe should serve as an indication that regression to the mean (meant in a positive way) is coming. He's eventually going to begin connecting on his triples and finishing more plays at the rim. And when that happens, he'll no longer seem like he's on one of the NBA's worst deals.

4. Dennis Schroder, Atlanta Hawks ($15,500,000)

After the offseason departures of Dwight Howard and Paul Millsap, the Atlanta Hawks unquestionably belonged to Dennis Schroder. And that's been both a good and bad thing for the franchise quickly sinking toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference, since his speedy moments of brilliance haven't popped up frequently enough to prevent strong odds for the No. 1 pick in the star-studded 2018 NBA draft.

Schroder remains a devastating threat in isolation who can use his quick first step to blaze by many defenders. But inconsistency still reigns supreme, likely driven by his enduring inability to knock down triples. He's making 34.9 percent of his 3.5 attempts per game in 2017-18, and that's actually close to the career high he set back in 2014-15 (35.1 percent on 1.9 tries per contest).

The German point guard's scoring acumen and ability to hit open teammates while crashing toward the hoop are beneficial. They just don't outweigh his range limitations, turnover problems and unwillingness to stop gambling on the defensive end. That last part is especially problematic, since ESPN.com's defensive real plus/minus gives only Emmanuel Mudiay a worse score among the 89 qualified 1-guards.

3. Jeff Teague, Minnesota Timberwolves ($19,000,000)

The 29-year-old Jeff Teague has been fine for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

His three-point shooting has provided necessary spacing for the offensive stalwarts playing alongside him. He's continued to look like one of the league's more gifted distributors, finding time to rack up 7.5 assists per game (though an uptick to 3.3 turnovers per contest is problematic). And while he's not finishing close-range shots like he once did for the Hawks, his speed when penetrating into the teeth of a defense does demand respect.

But the 'Wolves aren't paying him to be "fine." That's not what $19 million should buy, and they're on the hook for the same price tag each of the next two seasons, assuming he picks up a player option in 2019-20. Were that long-term element factored in, Teague's contract would currently look even worse in this analysis.

Until he starts finishing more of his two-point attempts and gains some semblance of comfort in head coach Tom Thibodeau's defensive schemes, he simply won't provide enough value to justify the expenditures.