The 10 Best Value Contracts in the NBA

With the NBA's salary cap about to reach the budget of a Christopher Nolan film, massive, multi-million dollar contracts will be awarded to many lucky bastards who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Harrison Barnes will fetch $100 million. Bismack Biyombo may as well. These are players suited to be high-end role players on teams, but they are about to be paid like superstars.

Here is a list of the best contracts in the NBA as of today. Rookie deals are not included. Length of contracts is taken into account. Contracts counted as of the 2016-2017 league year. It's a good time to be a Boston fan!

*contracts rounded to nearest hundredth

10. Marcus Morris (3 years, $15 million)

A multi-positional defender who can guard shooting guards to power forwards. He admirably defended LeBron in the first round, making him work for every bucket; and with LeBron, that is the best thing you can do. Morris gave the Pistons 14 points and 5 rebounds as their starting "small forward" last season, but he really wore many other hats. In their current starting 5, Morris is the Pistons' second best playmaker after point guard Reggie Jackson. Morris can knock down threes and score in the midrange, all for an incredibly reasonable $5 million a year in today's NBA landscape, one where Evan Turner (EVAN TURNER) will be making triple this in one season.

9. J.J. Redick (1 year, $7 million)

In a couple of seasons, the average salary will be around double of what Redick is making now. For example, Jeremy Lamb will be making $7 million next year and he's like the fourth best guard on the Hornets. Redick, who converted on a scorching 47.5% of his three-pointers last season, is a full-time starter on the Clippers. His defense has really made the improvement from 'ugh' to 'ok', and that is a major difference on a team where there other four starters are all phenomenal defenders. Redick, who before this past season was only a threat from deep, uncorked a game with so real off the bounce juice. When he would turn around from an off-ball screen ready to shoot and a defender was attached to him, Redick would get the ball, and stutter into the lane, unleashing an array of smooth midranges and solid passes that kept the offensive machine chugging. He also averaged 16.3 points a game with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin stealing many touches as his teammates. At $7 million, he is a really solid bargain that nobody talks about.

8.  Robert Covington (2 years, 2 million)

Covington does two things really well: he can defend and he can hit threes. The ability to do those things alone will net a player an eight figure deal these days. Covington will be making 1 million a year until 2018. His contract is being wasted on a non-competing 76ers team, but a contender in need of a third forward would kill for Covington's package of youth (he's still just 25), skills and cheap-bin contract.

7.  Shaun Livingston (1 year, 5.8 million)

Forget his team-friendly contract for a second; I'm so happy for Livingston, who recovered from a devastating knee injury to win his first championship in 2015. He is a long defender and has one of the best midrange games in the league. He feasts on posting up smaller guards and he can actually guard small forwards since he is basically their height. Livingston is probably the best backup guard in the league due to his versatility, a word that is usually associated with eight-figure players. Not to mention, when paired with some of the Warriors's star players, Livingston can act as a secondary ball handler and his playmaking makes his lack of a three-point shot ok to live with. These days, a semi-competent backup can make $7 million a year and be considered a solid deal. Livingston is "only" making $5 million.

6. Demarcus Cousins (2 years, $32 million)

$16 million is still a lot of money, but for the best center in the league who would be getting double that on the open market...it looks a lot better. Cousins is only 25 years-old too. He can toggle between front court positions and has shown the ability to play a role as rim protector and perimeter defender. On offense, Cousins has one of the most unstoppable post games in the league. He physically punishes his defender using his massive frame. In fact, he reminds me of Shaq in some ways. Cousins averaged monster numbers of 27 points per game, 12 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks. When motivated, he is a really smooth and agile passer. Problem is--he plays for the Kings, one of the seemingly most dysfunctional organizations at the time. Cousins obviously has a temper but at his best, he's a two-way FORCE on a great contract in relation to his actual market-worth.

5. Avery Bradley (2 years, $16 million)

To indicate how team-friendly this contract is for the Celtics, Bradley openly grumbled about the state of his contract, wishing he could have a new one. He even fired his agent. $8 million a year for a defensive beast and solid three-point shooter (36 percent) who can also make plays off the dribble is a serious win for the Celtics. If Bradley were a free agent the year, he could easily a deal starting near the high-teens. Bradley's value as a player was highlighted most when he got injured during the playoffs and the Celtics clearly felt his absence. I'll have him on my team at this price any day.

4. Jae Crowder (4 years, $29 million)

Crowder is like the same player as Bradley, except he plays small forward. Blessed with a big, sturdy physique, Crowder plays physically against his opponents and he has also displayed a 'cannot teach that' level of clutchness. Signed on for the next four years, Crowder's deal is going to have people laughing hysterically at how underpaid he is gonna be. I'm not sure anyone knows the cap limit for the next five years, but at an average of $7 million a year, Crowder could quintuple his current salary. The length of the contract is the deal breaker. $ years, no outs. Danny Ainge keeps on winning man.

3. Derrick Favors (2 years, $20 million)

Signed back in 2013, Favor's deal looked like an overpay at the time. In the 2017-2018 season, it will be a top 5 value contract. In two summers, Favors could triple his salary per year, netting around 30. He is mighty underrated as a defender. He is an awesome rim protector overshadowed by Rudy Gobert, and he has also shown some chops corralling smaller players. On offense, Favors does a nice job of working within confined spaces with Gobert plopped in the lane. He can make a midrange and post-up pretty effectively. Oh, and he is only 24 years old. He's simply a young, two-way star on a great deal compared to his current market. Great value for Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey.

2. Isaiah Thomas (2 years, $12 million)

Out of all the great Celtics on great deals for Trader Danny, IT tops out as the best value. he is indisputably their best player. He scores like a machine to the tune of 22 PPG and racks up a neat 6 assists, which is more impressive considering how much of a scoring burden he is tasked with. The team's best playmaker and scorer, Thomas would get around $25 million on the open market in a year. $6 million is a steal for the 27-year-old.

Stephen Curry (1 year, $11 million)

This contract is such a bargain for the Warriors it's hilarious. Signed during a very shaky time during Steph's career, the contract has allowed the warriors to grab Andre Iguadala, who was the Finals MVP in 2015. Curry never sulks about his contract. He averaged 30 points a game last year, draining threes faster than he drained opponent's of their confidence. His deal is almost up, it's been quite the run.