5. Brook Lopez
Acquired as described above in the Russell-Mozgov trade in the 2017 offseason, Lopez was entering the final season of a big contract for which he would earn $22.6 million.
It took Brook time to get acclimated with the Lakers, but he ended up having a reasonably good season. Although he played the fewest minutes and had the fewest field goal attempts of his career, he averaged 13 points and four rebounds. About 41 percent of his shots were 3-point tries, and he connected on 34.5 percent of them, which had the effect of drawing his opponent out of the paint and opening it up for his teammates.
When the season ended, Lopez indicated he had interest in re-signing with the Lakers, even at a substantially reduced salary. But the team showed little interest in him and he instead joined Milwaukee for just $3.4 million.
He is averaging 13 PPG for the Bucks, who currently have the third-best record in the NBA. Over 70 percent of his FG attempts this season are 3-pointers, and he is connecting at a career-best 36.7 percent.