Chicago Bulls (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Jabari Parker experiment is not working for the Chicago Bulls. Could they trade him elsewhere for potential value?
Jabari Parker was supposed to be much more than this. The Chicago Bulls were hoping that maybe, just maybe, the hometown kid could come in and revitalize his career. On a young team that could use a strong veteran presence, Parker’s role looked to be an important one.
So far, Parker has been average at best. This guy actually told reporters that they don’t pay players to play defense in today’s NBA during the offseason.
Apparently, Parker meant every word of it, because he’s been atrocious on that end of the floor so far. How bad has he been? Quite honestly, he’s been worse than ever.
Per Basketball Reference, Parker’s defensive rating, so far, would be the worst of his career should he end the season with the same number (113). The idea of defense has become such a joke when watching Parker play that most fans have come to expect it to be absent from his arsenal.
Parker has found his way to 6.7 rebounds per game, mainly because he’s been one of the only options near the paint and has simply come up with them by default. His effort (or lack thereof) on the glass has been laughable this season.
Not that it really matters, because he isn’t known as a defensive specialist, but he’s also stealing the ball at the lowest rate of his career (0.5 per game).
With Parker’s deal essentially a 1-year contract, followed by a team option next summer, the Bulls could look to move him for some potential value before inevitably moving on in 2019. Where would he go? Let’s examine three teams that make a bit of sense.