JULY 11: The Hawks have officially signed Parker, the team confirmed today in a press release.
“Jabari is a highly skilled offensive player and proven scorer, and we’re looking forward to incorporating him into our group,” Hawks GM Travis Schlenk said in a statement. “We think he will fit well on the court and in the locker room, and we’re excited to welcome him to Atlanta.”
JULY 8: The Hawks and forward Jabari Parker have agreed to terms on a two-year contract, his agency Priority Sports announced today (via Twitter). According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter), the two-year pact will be worth $13MM, with a second-year player option.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft, Parker averaged 20.1 PPG in 51 games with the Bucks in 2016/17. However, that season ended early due to a torn ACL and the 24-year-old hasn’t made the same impact since then for Milwaukee, Chicago, and Washington.
Last year, Parker signed a two-year, $40MM contract with the Bulls, which featured a second-year team option. He was traded to the Wizards in a deadline deal and averaged 14.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 2.4 APG on .493/.313/.712 shooting in 64 total games for the two teams. Washington turned down his 2019/20 option, allowing him to reach the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
It took Parker more than a week to find a new home, which made him a match for the Hawks, whose GM Travis Schlenk had stated this spring that the club would likely wait out the first wave of free agency to see who slipped through the cracks. Parker, the only unrestricted free agent still on the board from our top-50 list, fit that bill. He could become a starting forward in Atlanta, though he may slot in better as a second-unit scorer.
The Hawks were one of the few NBA teams with cap room still available, so no exception will be required to sign Parker. They still project to have about $6.2MM in space left after the signing, per Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
?
Why? Potential…..that is all he has had to offer. Puckish personality doesn’t serve him well.
Well they have money to spend and this is a reasonable price. He’s a lot more intriguing than a lot of the other guys out there at this point. If he does well you can likely add a first for him at the deadline.
I like it, they could play him at the 4.
Young-Huerter-Hunter-Parker-Collins
That could an 8th seed in the Eastern Conference assuming Trae Young and John Collins improve. Jabari Parker will get the touches he needs to be a third option in that offense, all the best to him.
Jabari gunna be the third option until he ruptures his labia again
Makes sense. They have a couple of super young guys at that position to develop, potentially in the d-league. Meanwhile, Jabari gives them a half court scorer. I like this move for them. They also still have space to keep looking to be opportunistic. Before the offseason, I was hoping the Heat signed him. Still need help at that position, but not necessarily a scorer after getting Butler, and they’re hard capped anyway
Mistake of a signing. Bad influence on the rookie Hunter, and for what. Who now will Hunter reference the most on that roster?
I couldn’t agree more. Jabari is a huge liability on defense. He’s publicly said that he doesn’t get paid to play defense. Less minutes now for Atlanta’s promising young players. Bad move…
Parker’s numbers have been remarkably consistent… before and after his injuries. The trouble is, with the way the game has changed, his inability to switch and guard multiple positions (or even one position) is too great of a liability.