Miami Heat Trade Value Rankings

Mar 30, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Luol Deng (9) drives against Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

3. Luol Deng

At roughly $10 million a year for two seasons, Deng gives a team a solid locker room presence, a guy who can pick up the other team’s best scorer and, finally, someone with a chip on his shoulder.

Deng got traded by the Chicago Bulls to the Cleveland Cavaliers because the Bulls are cheap. Then he had to play for the Cavs, became a free agent and couldn’t find a team willing to shell out more than $10 million a year in a league where the New York Knicks are paying Andrea Bargnani, Amar’e Stoudemire and Metta World Peace a combined $35.5 million.*

Then, after he signed with the Heat, he was involved in a scandal in which Danny Ferry said some racist things about him. So he’s been insulted as a man twice (because Bargnani gets paid $1.5 million more than him this season and because an NBA executive attacked his race). If that doesn’t get you fired up an an athlete, not much else will.

* Okay, so MWP is making just $550 thousand of that. But he’s playing in China!