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Notes & Reactions On The Jabari Parker Signing

July 14th, 2018 at 4:15pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Bucks felt that the organization and Jabari Parker were trending in different directions, league sources tell Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The team let Jabari Parker become an unrestricted free agent, allowing him to sign a two-year, $40MM deal with the Bulls.

Schultz notes that GM Jon Horst didn’t have to rescind the qualifying offer which kept Parker as a restricted free agent, but he did so to allow Parker the ability to negotiate the best possible deal with Chicago.

Here are more notes and reactions from around the league:

For Parker to provide good value at $20MM per season, he’ll have to develop into an All-Star caliber player, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com writes. Pelton can envision a scenario where Parker continues to be limited defensively and becomes what amounts to a high-scoring sixth man. The scribe sees that value to be comparable to Will Barton‘s deal, one that will pay the wing an annual value of $13.5MM.
The Bucks would have had to part with either a productive player or attach an asset in order to dump one of their players with larger, unfriendly contract if they intended to sign Parker and stay under the luxury tax, Pelton notes in the same piece. Pelton evaluates Milwaukee’s roster and finds that it didn’t have any smaller contracts that provided poor value, meaning the franchise would have had to find takers for either Matthew Dellavedova, Tony Snell or John Henson, something that’s easier said than done.
The Bucks are set to have $116MM on the books this season after the signings of Ersan Ilyasova and Brook Lopez, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (ESPN now link). Milwaukee’s future cap space will be dependent on what Khris Middleton does with his $13MM player option next season. If he opts out and Eric Bledsoe does not return, the team could have upwards of $28MM in cap space.

Bulls Waive Paul Zipser, Julyan Stone

July 14th, 2018 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

As part of the series of transactions that saw them make their signing of Jabari Parker official, the Bulls have formally waived forward Paul Zipser and guard Julyan Stone, the team announced in a press release.

The moves were necessary in order to clear the cap room necessary to finalize Parker’s two-year, $40MM deal. Having already traded Jerian Grant, waived Sean Kilpatrick, and withdrawn David Nwaba‘s qualifying offer within the last week or so, Chicago was able to create about $20.6MM in cap space by cutting Zipser and Stone and renouncing their other cap holds and exceptions.

In addition to waiving Zipser and Stone, the team also had to renounce Noah Vonleh‘s cap hold of $10MM+ and give up its mid-level and trade exceptions. The Bulls had three trade exceptions available, the largest of which was worth nearly $9MM. The club will now only have access to the $4.449MM room exception.

Zipser ($1.545MM) and Stone ($1.656MM) each had non-guaranteed salaries for 2018/19, so the Bulls are no longer on the hook for any money for either player.

Zipser, 24, averaged 4.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 54 games (15.3 MPG) for the Bulls last season. He indicated in June that he didn’t expect the team to bring him back.

As for Stone, he was only included in last week’s three-way trade with the Hornets and Magic so that the Bulls technically received something in the deal — he was always expected to be released. The veteran guard had a very limited role for the Hornets last season, averaging just 0.8 PPG, 1.3 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 23 contests (7.6 MPG)

Jabari Parker Signs Two-Year Deal With Bulls

July 14th, 2018 at 12:43pm CST by marksuleymanov

12:43pm: The Bulls have officially announced their new deal with Parker, issuing a press release to confirm the signing. As detailed below, it’s a two-year, $40MM agreement, but it’s only guaranteed for the first year.

11:09am: The Bulls have agreed to a two-year, $40MM deal with Jabari Parker, who became an unrestricted free agent after the Bucks rescinded their qualifying offer, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It was reported that the Bucks did not unilaterally withdraw their qualifying offer ahead of Friday’s deadline, but the team did so today with Parker’s consent.

Bucks general manager Jon Horst said to ESPN that the organization wasn’t going to match an offer sheet and decided to let Parker negotiate a deal as an unrestricted free agent.

“Jabari and I felt it was in the best interest of both he and the team to rescind our qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent,” Horst said in a statement. “We appreciate everything Jabari has brought to our team and our community over the last four years and we wish him well.”

While Parker was reportedly interested in joining his hometown Bulls, earlier reports suggested he wanted to return to Milwaukee. Instead, Parker departs Milwaukee for a chance to prove he can stay healthy for a full season.

“I am extremely grateful to the Bucks and the incredible fans of Milwaukee for showing me so much love and encouragement,” Parker said in a statement. “Specifically, I’d like to thank Jon, Marc, Wes and Jamie for giving me my start in the NBA and supporting me throughout my career.”

Parker, 23, is a former second overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft who has shown flashes of his potential but has seen his career impacted by two ACL tears in his left knee.

After missing the start of the 2017/18 season, Parker returned to play in 31 games, averaging 12.6 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 24.0 minutes per contest. A year prior, Parker was in the midst of a career season, averaging 20.1 PPG and 6.2 RPG before tearing his ACL a second time. As Hoops Rumors wrote earlier this year, Parker is one of 97 NBA players to tear an ACL since 1970 and is one of nine players to do so twice.

With the troubled injury history, the second year of Parker’s new deal with the Bulls is a team option, Wojnarowski tweets. This lowers risk for the Bulls if Parker’s left knee fails to hold up and also gives him the option to pursue a long-term deal with Chicago if he can stay healthy and productive.

Since 2010, 33 players have torn their ACL and none of them have gone on to make an All-Star team after the injury. For Parker, this significant guarantee signals the chance to prove his left knee is capable of handling a full season and worth a more significant investment.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Bulls, Jabari Parker Discuss Possible Offer

July 14th, 2018 at 9:04am CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 14: The Bucks did not rescind their qualifying offer to Parker by Friday’s deadline, tweets Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel. While Parker remains a restricted free agent, it remains unlikely that he returns to Milwaukee given Chicago’s expected offer, Velazquez adds.

JULY 13, 6:49pm: Chicago is close to signing Parker on a short-term deal, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

5:17pm: The Bulls are progressing on an offer sheet to Bucks restricted free agent forward Jabari Parker, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. A number of topics are still been discussed by Chicago’s front office and Parker’s representatives, Wojnarowski adds.

The Bucks would have 48 hours to match any offer that Parker might receive. However, it appears that if Chicago truly wants Parker, Milwaukee won’t go to great lengths to keep him. The Bucks are unlikely to match an offer sheet for Parker, according to a follow-up story by Wojnarowski. In fact, Milwaukee has mulled the possibility of pulling Parker’s qualifying offer and making him an unrestricted free agent.

This would go a long way toward explaining the Bulls’ recent moves. Chicago has been clearing cap space in recent days by trading Jerian Grant, waiving Sean Kilpatrick, and withdrawing David Nwaba‘s qualifying offer. The Bulls could open up as much as $20.6MM in cap space if they also renounced Noah Vonleh‘s rights and waive Paul Zipser and Julyan Stone, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.

The Bucks would have to clear salary in order to avoid moving into luxury-tax territory if they chose to match a competitive offer sheet to Parker, Marks notes in another tweet.

Parker is a Chicago native and has been linked to the Bulls in multiple reports.

With Lauri Markkanen entrenched at power forward, the Bulls apparently view Parker as a solution at small forward. The 6’8” Parker, who has suffered two major knee injuries in his young career, averaged 12.6 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 31 games last season after returning from his latest injury.

Bulls Still Considering Jabari Parker?

July 13th, 2018 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Amidst speculation that the Bulls are clearing cap room for a major move, multiple reports continue to link Chicago native Jabari Parker to the club.

One NBA executive who spoke to Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times claimed that the Bulls are “most definitely” interested in Parker, while Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago says he thinks “there’s some smoke” to rumors connecting the team to the Bucks‘ restricted free agent. Sources say Parker would like to be a Bull, Goodwill adds (Twitter link).

While it’s possible that the Bulls are gearing up to make a play for Parker, I’m not sure he’s an ideal match for their roster, given that he fits best at the power forward spot. Chicago has already made one big long-term commitment this month by matching Zach LaVine‘s offer sheet with Sacramento. For a team said to be prioritizing cap flexibility going forward, a lucrative offer sheet for Parker would be a surprise, which makes me wonder if the supposed mutual interest is stronger on Parker’s side than on the Bulls’ side.

Spurs, Lakers, Others Eyeing David Nwaba

July 13th, 2018 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

David Nwaba is no longer a restricted free agent, meaning he can sign outright with any NBA team, and interested clubs are checking in on the young shooting guard. According to TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link), several teams have reached out to Nwaba, including the Spurs and Lakers. There’s no clear frontrunner at this point, Aldridge adds.

Nwaba, who was eligible for restricted free agency this summer, received a qualifying offer from the Bulls last month, giving the team the right of first refusal on any offer sheet he signed. However, Chicago withdrew that QO on Thursday, despite its modest price ($1.7MM), leading to speculation that the club is maximizing its cap room for a bigger move.

Despite making Nwaba an unrestricted free agent, the Bulls haven’t given up hope of re-signing him. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets that the Bulls have interest in using the room exception to bring back Nwaba after they use up their cap space. A source confirmed to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune that the team hasn’t ruled out re-signing Nwaba once it completes other business.

In order to retain Nwaba though, the Bulls would have to count on the 25-year-old waiting out the team’s other move(s) and being willing to accept the $4.45MM room exception. Those aren’t unreasonable requests, but if Nwaba gets a comparable offer from another suitor, he may not want to wait on Chicago.

A former undrafted free agent, Nwaba had a solid season for the Bulls in 2017/18, averaging 7.9 PPG and 4.7 RPG while playing strong perimeter defense in 70 games (21 starts).

Bulls Clearing Cap Room For Forthcoming Move?

July 13th, 2018 at 9:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have been cutting costs in a series of minor moves over the last week, having traded Jerian Grant, waived Sean Kilpatrick, and withdrawn David Nwaba‘s qualifying offer. As K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune details, the transactions signal that the Bulls are looking to create the flexibility necessary to complete a more significant move using cap room. A source tells Johnson that there’s a “strong internal belief” that Chicago will finalize another move.

Although the Bulls technically remain an over-the-cap team due to their various exceptions and cap holds, they can create up to about $20.6MM in cap room by waiving Julyan Stone and Paul Zipser, renouncing Noah Vonleh, and renouncing their trade exceptions. All of those moves are expected to happen, according to Johnson.

Johnson suggests that the Bulls’ forthcoming transaction will likely involve either shoring up their wing position or absorbing an unwanted contract with an asset attached. While Chicago has been linked to restricted free agents like Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood, and Marcus Smart intermittently within the last few weeks, I’d be very surprised if the club intends to make an offer to any of those players that requires $20MM+ in space. Clint Capela is the only RFA who might warrant such an offer, but he seems like an improbable target for the Bulls, who drafted Wendell Carter just three weeks ago.

Accommodating a salary dump looks like a more logical path for the Bulls. One popular theory that has been making the rounds is a swap that sends Carmelo Anthony ($27.93MM) and draft assets to Chicago for Cristiano Felicio ($8.47MM). This theoretical deal, which we touched on earlier this week, was fleshed out this morning by cap expert Albert Nahmad.

Such a trade may appeal to the Thunder, who could clear about $20MM from their 2018/19 cap and create nearly $100MM in projected luxury-tax savings by replacing Anthony’s salary with Felicio’s. It’d also make sense for the Bulls, who could carve out additional cap room for 2019 and/or 2020 and could perhaps acquire an extra draft pick for taking on Anthony. The Bulls would subsequently buy out Carmelo in this hypothetical scenario.

However, this is all speculation at this point. All we know for now is that the Bulls’ recent series of moves suggests they have something in mind for their cap room. We’ll have to wait to see what exactly that is.

Bulls Rescind QO For David Nwaba

July 12th, 2018 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls have rescinded their qualifying offer for David Nwaba, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. The second-year guard will now be an unrestricted free agent.

Nwaba was productive in his lone season with the Bulls, starting 21 of 70 games and averaging 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per night. Chicago claimed him off waivers last summer after he spent his rookie season with the Lakers.

The unrestricted status should improve the offers for Nwaba, who has reportedly already received a “barrage” of interest from around the league. Nwaba ranks 42nd on our list of the Top 50 Free Agents of 2018.

Friday is the deadline for teams to rescind qualifying offers for NBA and two-way restricted free agents. Any QOs kept active after tomorrow cannot be withdrawn for the remainder of the summer without the player’s consent.

NBA Teams With 2018/19 Cap Room Remaining

July 12th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Last Wednesday, we noted that only three NBA teams still had significant cap room available. Depending on your definition of “significant,” that’s still the case. One of those three teams – the Kings – made a player for another’s restricted free agent, but the Bulls matched Sacramento’s offer sheet for Zach LaVine and still have plenty of flexibility themselves.

While the Kings, Bulls, and Hawks are still the only teams that can create more than $15MM in cap space without trading any players or waiving and stretching any guaranteed salaries, a number of other clubs technically still have cap room available too.

Using our own data and salary information from Basketball Insiders, our current cap room estimates – as of July 12 – are below. If you have any questions or notice any errors, please let us know in the comment section.

Here’s a breakdown:

Atlanta Hawks

Current space: $17.9MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries and renounce UFAs: $23.91MM
The Hawks have had a quiet offseason so far, but could clear the most cap room if any team if they renounce Malcolm Delaney and waive the non-guaranteed contracts of Jaylen Morris and Antonius Cleveland.

Sacramento Kings

Current space: $19.53MM
The Kings already renounced their free agents and waived Nigel Hayes‘ non-guaranteed salary in order to help accommodate LaVine’s offer sheet. With LaVine’s offer matched by the Bulls, Sacramento will have to find another use for its space.

Chicago Bulls

Current space: None
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries and renounce UFAs: $18.94MM
The Bulls continue to technically operate as an over-the-cap team since they haven’t renounced their trade, mid-level, and bi-annual exceptions, or Noah Vonleh‘s $10MM+ cap hold. Once they decide they want to use their cap room, they could clear up to almost $19MM without withdrawing David Nwaba‘s qualifying offer.

Brooklyn Nets

Current space: $9.97MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries and renounce UFAs: $12.17MM
The Nets aren’t about to waive Spencer Dinwiddie‘s non-guaranteed salary, but cutting Isaiah Whitehead and renouncing Quincy Acy would create a little extra space if they need it. Once the Nets use their cap room or decide they don’t need it, they’ll finalize deals for Joe Harris (Early Bird rights) and Ed Davis (room exception).

Dallas Mavericks

Current space: $5MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries: $5.54MM
It’s not clear if Dorian Finney-Smith‘s salary is still non-guaranteed — he had a reported July 5 salary guarantee deadline, but there has been no confirmation that that date wasn’t pushed back. If Finney-Smith doesn’t have his full guarantee yet, the Mavericks could get to $6MM+ in space. The team figures to use either its cap room or its room exception to re-sign Dirk Nowitzki.

Philadelphia 76ers

Current space: $1.69MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries: $4.89MM
Getting up to $4.89MM in room would mean waiving T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes, which is probably unlikely. Still, the Sixers could use that $1.69MM in room to sign a player like Jonah Bolden to a long-term deal if they so choose. They’ll eventually finalize Nemanja Bjelica‘s deal using their room exception.

Phoenix Suns

Current space: $1.18MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries: $3.25MM
The Suns could create a little extra flexibility by waiving Shaquille Harrison and Davon Reed, but the team may not need that remaining room either way.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

Bulls Waive Sean Kilpatrick

July 12th, 2018 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have waived veteran guard Sean Kilpatrick, the team announced today (via Twitter). The club now has 14 players under contract, not counting restricted free agents David Nwaba or Ryan Arcidiacono.

Kilpatrick, 28, had an eventful 2017/18 campaign. After starting the season with the Nets, he was waived by Brooklyn and signed a two-way contract with the Bucks. Milwaukee converted his two-way deal to a standard NBA contract in January, then waived him in March. Kilpatrick subsequently inked a pair of 10-day contracts with the Clippers before finally joining the Bulls on a multiyear contract.

In 52 total games with four teams last season, Kilpatrick averaged 6.3 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 12.3 minutes per contest. He was at his best in Chicago, posting 15.4 PPG on .439/.396/.813 shooting in nine games with the Bulls, but it seems that wasn’t enough to earn him a roster spot for 2018/19.

Kilpatrick’s $2MM+ salary for 2018/19 was non-guaranteed, so Chicago won’t be on the hook for any of it. However, the Bulls – who were under the salary floor for 2017/18 when they signed him – paid the well-traveled guard a generous $2.16MM salary for nine games last season.

With Kilpatrick no longer on their books, the Bulls can create up to nearly $16MM in cap space for 2018/19 by renouncing various exceptions and Noah Vonleh’s cap hold. That figure could increase to approximately $19MM if the club waives its other non-guaranteed players (Julyan Stone and Paul Zipser), even with Nwaba’s qualifying offer still on the cap.