With a busy offseason ahead of them that features plenty of important decisions to make, the Washington Wizards have reportedly already made a verdict on Jabari Parker’s team option.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, the Wizards won’t pick up Parker’s $20 million option for next season, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. However, Haynes adds that both Parker and the Wizards are interested in bringing the forward back on a new contract.
The Washington Wizards will decline the 2019-20 team option on Jabari Parker’s contract, and the forward will become an unrestricted free agent on June 30, league sources told Yahoo Sports…
The Wizards are very much open to re-signing Parker and the interest is mutual, sources said.
The team option for Jabari Parker stems from the 2-year, $40 million contract he signed with the Chicago Bulls last summer after four seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. Parker would play in only 39 games for Chicago before he was dealt to the Washington Wizards midway through last season.
Even after the trade, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Parker’s option wouldn’t be picked up this summer. Though Parker is a fine young player and still has potential to exploit at 24 years old, it’s hard to envision him being worth $20 million next season.
It’s also important to factor in the injury issues Parker has dealt with in his short NBA career, tearing his ACL twice in the span of three years. The Wizards though are a team in flux, and after the way Parker performed towards the latter portions of last season, it’s not surprising that they’re still interested in keeping him around.
Parker will still have a chance to test unrestricted free agency, so it’s far from a guarantee he will be a Wizard next season. Washington does still roster frontcourt pieces Jeff Green, Trevor Ariza, Bobby Portis, Troy Brown and Sam Dekker, not to mention them using both their picks in the 2019 NBA Draft on forwards Rui Hachimura and Admiral Schofield. If Washington sees enough potential in Parker, they will likely make every effort bring him back, but it’s important to keep in mind that they do have plenty of insurance if nothing is agreed upon.
Parker was valuable during his 30 appearances with Washington, averaging 15 points and 7.2 rebounds in just over 23 minutes a game. This will be a big offseason for the Wizards, who will have to gauge the appropriate direction to lead the franchise in, all without a general manager in place. A relatively easy decision is now in the books, and now the Wizards will have to finalize the rest of their offseason plans with free agency right around the corner.
