NBA general managers are smarter than ever, and they still couldn’t help themselves when gifted a ballooning salary cap last summer, spending like Montgomery Brewster (timely references, here). The Los Angeles Lakers saddled themselves with Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng, the Portland Trail Blazers threw $70 million at Evan Turner, and the Memphis Grizzlies figured Chandler Parsons for $94 million in an annual tradition that will only seem more ridiculous as the salary cap continues to climb.

These five guys will cash in soon, so maybe this list will soften the blow when the news comes down.

JRUE HOLIDAY, New Orleans Pelicans (unrestricted)

Let me start by saying I’m a big fan of Holiday. I like his effort on both ends of the floor, and I love his hustle off it. He’s 27 years old, enjoyed arguably his best season since his 2013 All-Star campaign — averaging 15.4 points (53.2 true shooting percentage), 7.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game — and did it all despite missing the start of the season to tend to his wife as she recovered from brain surgery.

But he is not a max-contract player. And he will in all likelihood receive a max deal from the Pelicans, if only because they have no other choice. Pairing DeMarcus Cousins with Anthony Davis at the trade deadline meant New Orleans was entering the summer with a win-now ultimatum and no cap space.

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If Holiday walks in unrestricted free agency, the Pelicans have nobody to deliver the ball to their two stud bigs, no way of paying somebody else of his caliber, and no assets to trade for an adequate replacement, because they owe Solomon Hill, Omer Asik and E’Twaun Moore a combined $85 million.

So, when another team makes a big play for Holiday — and the Dallas Mavericks were among those rumored to be making a sweetheart offer that included the chance to play with Justin — the Pelicans have no other option but to top it. And that will get expensive. Like, $30 million a year expensive.

TIM HARDAWAY JR., Atlanta Hawks (restricted)

The New York Knicks’ No. 24 pick in 2013, Hardaway was dealt to Atlanta for another non-lottery pick two years into his career, averaged just six points on below-average shooting in 17 minutes per game during his first season on the Hawks, and then salvaged his career in the final year of his rookie deal.

A top-10 finisher in this year’s Most Improved Player voting, Hardaway submitted career-highs of 14.5 points per game and 56.8 percent true shooting this season. With more minutes and responsibility following the trade of Kyle Korver, the Basketball Hall of Famer’s son increased his output and efficiency, and Atlanta’s offensive rating rose 8.5 points per 100 possessions with him in the lineup.

I’m practically talking myself into offering him four years and $70 million this summer — the same offer teammates Kent Bazemore and Dennis Schroder received in restricted free agency last year. Show any general manager game tape of his 23 points in the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets, and that offer might even climb to $20 million annually. The guy is still only 25 years old.

But what if I told you Reggie Jackson gave the Detroit Pistons the same numbers last season? You’d say he was overpaid at $15 million. Hardaway is a useful player, but his inconsistent production can be approximated by any number of players, and I’d be shocked if he’s ever a starting shooting guard on a contender. If that’s the case, he should get closer to $10 million than $20 million. Which won’t happen, because he is exactly the type of player whose best nights enthrall GMs enough to throw cash at him.

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