1 of 6

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Omer Asik, New Orleans Pelicans (Three years, $33.9 million)

Omer Asik is in awkward territory. His contract doesn't look so bad when pitted against deals other bigs brokered in 2016, and waiving him via the stretch provision next summer, at $4.8 million per season for five years, won't seem completely crippling.



But, as far as salary dumps go, the 31-year-old couldn't be in a more complicated situation. One first-round pick won't grease the wheels, and the New Orleans Pelicans don't have the surrounding assets to beef up that offering—nor, frankly, should they be trafficking out draft choices before DeMarcus Cousins reaches free agency.

New Orleans can always try targeting teams with steeper contract obligations to actual contributors, but that's equally unappetizing prior to Cousins' decision. Most of the crummy deals at that level belong to bigs and aging (Luol Deng), injury-prone (Chandler Parsons) and ball-dominant (Evan Turner) wings anyway—player-types that don't come close to fitting the roster makeup.

If the Pelicans want to get rid of Asik, they'll likely need to stretch him or hope expiring contracts reign supreme in 2019.

Brandon Knight (Three years, $43.9 million)

Despite posting cruddy shooting percentages and the league's second-worst plus-minus before being shut down in February, Brandon Knight holds some intrigue.

Or rather, he held some intrigue.

Knight suffered a torn left ACL near the end of July and is expected to miss the entire 2017-18 season. Combo guards in their mid-20s who've shown they can work on and off the ball in the semi-recent past should never be considered hopeless causes, but they're not players you gamble on during a year lost to injury.

Ian Mahinmi (Three years, $48.1 million)

Ian Mahinmi's $48.1 million balance wouldn't be immovable if he spent 2016-17 matching or rivaling his 2015-16 performance—especially when measured against the blizzard of other 2016 overpays. Shoot, had he even finished the year in relatively good health and standing, he might be fine.

He didn't, so he's not.

Mahinmi appeared in just 31 games during his inaugural year with the Washington Wizards while battling injuries to both knees and his left calf. Whatever goodwill he built up as a quality rim-runner and defensive anchor with the Indiana Pacers is gone.

Bigs who don't space the floor are in an iffy area by default. Mix in injuries, an imminent 31st birthday (November) and three more years of guaranteed salary, and the chances of hammering out a trade before he's had the opportunity to recoup some squandered value are zilch.

Joakim Noah (Three years, $55.6 million)

Prior to the draft, Phil Jackson's insistence Joakim Noah be included in any Kristaps Porzingis trade was among the biggest roadblocks that prevented him from dealing the New York Knicks' unicorn, per ESPN.com's Ian Begley.

This says all we need to know about the movability of Noah's contract.

Chandler Parsons (Three years, $72.3 million)

Chandler Parsons' pact might be the least valuable trade asset in the league.

Market buyers cannot talk themselves into a resurgence—not after each of his last three seasons have ended with a knee injury. The Memphis Grizzlies, meanwhile, don't have the sweeteners necessary to attract salary-dumping enthusiasts.

Bottom-feeders with cap flexibility may not bite even if Memphis did. Not only does Parsons gum up the cap sheet, but a healthy version of him adds unnecessary wins to a rebuilding team's bottom line.

Hence the dilemma: Squads trying to make noise cannot count on him having an impact, while rock-bottomers cannot be 100 percent sure he won't eventually compromise the value of their draft pick.