NBA Trade Rumors: Bucks’ Jabari Parker Trade Was Close, ‘Slim Chance’ He’s There Next Season, Per Gery Woelfel
There were NBA trade rumors involving Jabari Parker getting dealt ahead of the deadline, and that trade was close. A recent radio interview conducted on 105.7 The Fan brought in one guest who gave details on the situation. He also added that he doesn’t expect Parker is going to be a member of the roster when the next season takes place. There have already been rumors linking Parker to a number of other teams before the trade deadline, so it’s quite possible he’ll be part of a new roster in 2019.
The Racine Journal Times‘ Gery Woelfel appeared on a recent episode of the Chuck & Winkler show via 105.7 The Fan. During his segment, Woelfel gave strong comments suggesting that Jabari Parker was almost moved to a new team saying the Bucks’ player was “very, very close to being traded at the deadline.” It’s unknown which teams were part of that discussion, though.
When speaking of Parker’s continuing role with the Bucks, Woelfel noted he believes there’s a “slim chance” that he’ll still be a part of Milwaukee’s team next year. That assessment makes sense based on the fact that Parker hasn’t quite produced what some people might have expected him to as such a highly touted prospect four years ago.
The Bucks have recalled forward Jabari Parker from the @WisconsinHerd of the @NBAGLeague.
Parker practiced with the Herd in Oshkosh, Wis., on Jan. 1. pic.twitter.com/3pqWdVYvmj
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 2, 2018
Jabari Parker joined the team as the No. 2 selection overall in the 2014 NBA Draft with only Andrew Wiggins going ahead of him. For months, debates had raged on over whether Parker or Wiggins was deserving of being the top overall selection. Wiggins won that battle and was drafted by the Cavs, who dealt him to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a Kevin Love trade.
The rest is history as Love helped Cleveland win a title, while Wiggins has become a star in his own right. Meanwhile, Parker hasn’t quite lived up to the hype that had surrounded him, although he appears he could achieve All-Star status based on last season’s numbers. For the 2016-17 season, he participated in 51 games, averaging 20.1 points per contest to go with 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
In February of 2017, Parker suffered a torn ACL, an injury which has caused other athletes to become limited in their careers afterward. Still, he came off the Bucks’ bench and is putting up just over 11 points per game with a career-high shooting percentage of 50.6 percent. He’s also averaging a bit over four rebounds per game and 1.6 assists per contest, according to Basketball-Reference.
It’s noted in a Bleacher Report article that the Milwaukee Bucks can give Parker a “qualifying offer of $8.85” for the next NBA season and that he’s eligible for restricted free agency. A team that looks to acquire Parker may get him at a decent price, but they’ll have to hope that he can stay healthy and start to produce numbers like he did last season. That said, based on the talent shown by the picks above and below him in that 2014 draft, he certainly has some potential to show his abilities on the right team.
