Jabari Parker was recently informed that his role with the Chicago Bulls would be dwindling as the team both looks to improve their draft position and also potentially move on from the big money forward. Parker was informed of the decision as the team was on the road in Mexico City taking on the Orlando Magic. Parker has been a DNP-CD the last three games and only played four minutes in that game against the Magic. Chicago has gone 1-3 since putting Parker on ice.
While the Bulls might actually need Parker on the court to win some games, it appears that the team is still fielding offers for the former second overall pick and the New York Knicks could be a team looking to bring him on board.
Ian Begley of ESPN reported the following.
The Knicks are among the teams who have expressed preliminary interest in trading for Chicago's Jabari Parker, per ESPN sources. It doesn't appear that anything is imminent at the moment.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) December 20, 2018
The Knicks have nothing to lose but their position in the 2019 NBA Draft lottery at this point. Will bringing in a player like Parker help those standings or hurt them in the long run? Only time can tell but with the impending return of Kristaps Porzingis, the rise of rookie Mitchell Robinson, a solid start to the season from Noah Vonleh and the committment the team has made into forward Kevin Knox, bringing in Parker to join their frontcourt doesn’t make much sense outside of bringing in his contract to be a salary dump at the end of the season.
Parker is in the first year of a two-year, $40 million contract he signed over the summer but his second year is a team option. The Knicks could decide to include big money, longer term deals like Courtney Lee, Lance Thomas and Tim Hardaway Jr to help make a deal work while they get some future money off the books.
