Jabari Parker – Milwaukee Bucks
It is no secret that many Utah Jazz fans are bullish on Jabari Parker. Not necessarily because of his performance on the basketball court, but because he is a member of the LDS faith that is predominant in the area, resulting in the belief that he will fit in very well with the community.
That is an interesting factor, but I highly doubt the Jazz will be taking that into account. No, they would be targeting Parker because he is still young and has the makings of an elite offensive four in the modern NBA. He could absolutely be the third star that the Jazz have been looking for to pair with Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
Parker is a 6’8″, 250-pound combo forward, who is just one season removed from averaging 20 points, six rebounds and three assists per game. He also shot over 37 percent from three over the past two seasons. On the surface, those numbers are incredible and scream max contract, especially when you consider he is just 23 years old.
The only reason he appears to be available at a potential bargain is because there are a few concerns. Namely, his injury history, and subpar defense.
I am not as concerned about his defense, because he is a young player with the measurables to be fine. With a good coach and system in place, it isn’t much of a stretch to believe he can become at least average on that end of the floor. He also showed intriguing flashes of defense during the playoffs.
Injuries are likely the biggest concern. Throughout the first four seasons of Parker’s career, he has only played in 183 of the potential 328 games. He has torn his ACL twice since entering the league in 2014. The injury concerns are leading teams to be hesitant in offering him a long-term max contract, which is what he is likely wanting.
According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, the Bucks offered Parker a substantial contract before the start of the season that he turned down:
"The Bucks were prepared during those October talks to offer a three-year deal worth around $54 million, according to sources familiar with the discussions. The two sides discussed other permutations — shorter deals, incentive-laden four-year deals — and the talks never narrowed to a single on-paper offer. Still: Milwaukee’s upper limit in annual salary — about $18 million per season — was clear, sources say."
From everything I have seen, that is about the top of Parker’s contract ceiling this offseason, as it does not appear many teams are going to be willing to take the risk of offering an injury prone player more than $18 million annually.
That may be all it takes though, and the Jazz have the flexibility to make that offer. The Bucks already have the fifth highest payroll in the entire NBA, which leads me to believe that it would be very hard for them to match that type of contract offer.
Utah will have to determine two things before offering that type of contract: First, is Parker truly injury prone? Or has he just been unlucky? Second, do they believe the defensive flashes he showed in the playoffs are real, and can they extend over an entire season? If the answer to those questions is yes, and there is interest from Parker in coming to Utah, then I think the Jazz will have to make an offer.