Getty Washington Wizards forward Jabari Parker
The Washington Wizards made a decision which some likely expected when it came to the future of forward Jabari Parker, but it doesn’t necessarily mean his time with the team is over. Parker, who was acquired via trade by the Wizards during the 2018-19 NBA season, had a $20 million team option for next year, but will now head to free agency.
As Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported, the Wizards declined his option, setting him up to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the month. Per Haynes, Washington does have interest in re-signing Parker, and the feeling is apparently mutual.
With the Wizards having interest in bringing Parker back, it obviously leaves the team as an option for the 24-year-old former No. 2 overall pick. It’s expected he should have a fairly solid market, and we’re going to take a look at a few of the most intriguing fits once free agency rolls around.
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Jabari Parker Free Agency Fits: Utah Jazz
GettyUtah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell
While the Utah Jazz would need to shake things up a bit in order to make it work with Parker financially, who’ll almost certainly command north of $10-$12 million per year, he’d be an interesting fit. After acquiring Mike Conley via trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, this deal could be tough to make happen, but the first move would be to let Derrick Favors walk in free agency.
If Parker would come at a lower cost than the $16 million attached to Favors, then it’d be interesting to see him land with the Jazz. One big question is how he’d do sharing the ball with the likes of Conley, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Regardless, he has a knack for finding the bottom of the basket and started coming into his own with the Wizards last year.
After falling out of favor with the Chicago Bulls, Parker averaged 15.0 points and a career-high 7.2 rebounds over 25 games in Washington. Beyond that, he also shot a career-best 52.3 percent from the field and dished out 2.7 assists per game.
Boston Celtics’ Outlook With Jabari Parker in Free Agency
Looking beyond the Jazz, I like the idea of pairing Parker up with Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics. This especially stands true if the Celtics lose Kyrie Irving and Al Horford in free agency. While Parker does have a score-first mentality, I think he’d be a unique but solid fit alongside Jayson Tatum and company.
If Boston did lose both Irving and Horford it would be a brutal blow and also mean they’d be without a large chunk of their offensive production from the 2018-19 season. While Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown and the rest of the Celtics could surely handle more work on that end, Parker could be a welcomed addition if he continues to flash upside.
As pointed out above, Parker’s growth as a rebounder and consistency as a scorer are two things which would immediately help the Celtics make up for losing two of their top players. He’s not as big of a name as a max-level player, but Parker can produce and will come at a cost-effective price which the team would be wise to consider while adding other free agents.
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Jabari Parker Free Agency: Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics Headline Top Options