Former second overall pick Jabari Parker will be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason, and given his underwhelming play down the stretch and the Bucks’ lack of cap flexibility, his future in Milwaukee isn’t a lock. Still, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo fully expects his teammate to be back, as Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details.
“Jabari ain’t going nowhere,” Antetokounmpo said. “He’s going to be here and he’s going to be ready for next season. And we will be all excited and playing in the new arena. And everyone is going to be having fun.”
While Antetokounmpo seemed “totally confident” about Parker’s status, the RFA forward’s future will ultimately hinge on whether he and the Bucks can reach a deal that both sides are happy with. If another suitor swoops in and makes Parker an offer he can’t refuse, Milwaukee would face a difficult decision on whether or not to match that offer sheet.
It has been a rough year for Parker, who missed more than half the season as he recovered from a second ACL tear. He showed flashes of his old self upon returning, but his role (24.0 MPG) was modest, and he struggled to make an impact in the postseason (10.0 PPG on .452/.316/.615 shooting). A winter report suggested that the Bucks offered Parker an extension worth $18MM per year last offseason during his ACL rehab process, but the 23-year-old said earlier this month that he “wished” that offer had been on the table.
Despite his comments on Parker, Antetokounmpo downplayed the idea that he has – or wants to have – a significant role in influencing roster decisions, writes Velazquez. The Bucks star would like to remain in the loop when the team makes major moves, but says he prefers to trust the front office on those decisions.
“I just want them to do the right moves for us to be successful, that’s it,” Antetokounmpo said. “That’s what I care about. I care about coming back and winning games, that’s it. At the end of the day, you’ve got to draw a line … ‘Can you help me? Can you not?’ Overall, our goal is to be one the best teams in the East, win a championship.”
Bucks have to be very careful and make sure they re-sign Jabari or else Giannis might skip when he becomes a free-agent. You certainly bring Jabari back if you want to keep Giannis on the Bucks. Jabari foresees Maker becoming the best 7 footer in the game, that alone tells me he sees how good Milwaukee can be once Maker is ready to go. They have a solid core with Giannis,Jabari,Maker, and Middleton. No way I let any of those 4 go and all they realistically need is a new coach. No major roster changes.
This. Kidd was clearly not the right coach and though he’s definitely a players coach, the minute he started throwing the team under the bus rather than take responsibility he lost the team. Only player I shed is Henson. He looks so lost out there at times. And I’m not sold on Bledsoe. I still think this team is better off with Brogdon at point.
I agree Brogdon is really good and has a great pace for the game and is more fundementally sound then Bledsoe is who can let his athleticism get in the way sometimes.
They need to use Giannis at the 5 more often, they need to be more consistent, and improve defensively, especially with that roster and what they should be capable of on that end of the floor, and they could use that 1 knock down shooter off the bench, preferably someone that can play at the 2/3
This roster needs an overhaul. Is that possible given the cap and salaries/players involved? That’s beyond my pay grade. But first they need a coach. Then re-tool the roster to fit his system, which should feature Giannis as the primary ball handler. DO NOT resign Parker. Too much of an injury risk to invest in and he doesn’t fit with Giannis anyway. Get what you can for Bledsoe, his expiring contact could fetch something in return. And start getting some mileage out of draft picks. Vaughan was a wasted pick. Wilson heading down that road. Maker is still very much up in the air. That’s three 1st rounders you haven’t even gotten a solid rotation player out of yet. Bucks has such promise a couple of years of ago but questionable/flawed decision making is killing them. End of rant, lol.
I guess you want Giannis to bolt in free agency by not re-signing Parker.
Despite you saying it multiple times here, you have zero proof of that happening…
You seem convinced Giannis leaves in free agency, in three years mind you, because they don’t re-sign Parker. Why? And out of curiosity, what’s Jabari worth to you? Because he’s on record saying he thinks he’s a max player.
Jabari hasn’t played a full year in this league. There were times this year where he looked unstoppable. When you have a superstar you need another superstar nowadays. If you put a few shooters around these two and a big center To play defense and rebound we could win it all
Jabari at his peak ,pre-injury, was Barkley-esque. Teamed with Giannis, they’re a potentially scary forward tandem, but need to be with a bruising 5 and dead-eye wings. The problem with the Bucks is they have no shooting – outside of Middleton who is more of a rhythm ball-handling shooter. Giannis is not a Lebron/Durant type talent who only needs the right pieces around him; he needs do develop a dependable jumper out to 3pt range. At the moment he’s Deandre Jordan with a handle and an offensive mindset. He’s still a couple of seasons away from someone you build a ‘win-now’ team around. Bad contracts have hampered the Bucks. The bench is non-existent. Their best players are Brogdon, Middleton, Antetokounmpo, Parker and Maker – a lineup which hasn’t seen much time together and gets killed on the glass, with not enough floor-spacing to clear the lane for Giannis to operate. I’d keep Brogdon, Middleton and Giannis and trade the rest. Maker will be good – in about five years.
I should add that Bledsoe has only compounded the problem – his lack of shooting clogs the floor even more. The positives he’s brought are his open-floor game and a bit of defensive intensity. He’s ahead of their timeline though in terms of his age and baggage!
I should add that Bledsoe has only compounded the problem – his lack of shooting clogs the floor even more. The positives he’s brought are his open-floor game and a bit of defensive intensity. He’s ahead of their timeline though in terms of his age and baggage!
I view Parker as a backup for the Sixers plans to sign LBJ or PG13, but I’d be apprehensive after watching him in the 7 game series. I saw a few Bucks games during the year, idk his play looks so labourous. That breakaway where he got tracked down quite easily and bailed out by a foul made me cringe a tad. Clearly not 100%. Some other players would have elevated and dunked, he had no elevation. Depending on the price. Would NOT do 4/80. Maybe 4/50ish. Too much injury risk too.
Well thank you for throwing out a number. I thought about the same, but someone like indiana might best it.
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Thon Maker, Nerlens Noel, Ekpe Udoh Utah– same tiny footprint, skinny like they were raised in a space station, but only Udoh knows he’s just roster depth.