Jabari Parker was removed from the Chicago Bulls’ rotation. Should the Miami Heat consider at the forward?
In case you haven’t realized it yet, time in the NBA is cyclical; the temporal nature of player contracts demands that situations repeat themselves.
The No. 2 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Jabari Parker, had spent the first four years of his NBA career in Milwaukee. He played just 183 games in Bucks green—games spliced with absences, including two season-ending ACL injuries.
When Parker became a restricted free agent this summer, Milwaukee was hard-pressed for reasons to re-sign him. Though he called the city home, the Bucks couldn’t justify shelling out for a player whose left knee had the structural integrity of Milwaukee sinkhole.
So, five months ago, after the dust settled around LeBron James and the biggest Los Angeles Lakers signing in years, Parker moved two hours south of Milwaukee to join the Chicago Bulls, on a two-year, $40 million deal.
The deal was relatively tame by off-season standards.
The Bulls, a team with cap space aplenty, paid $20 million up front with high hopes that Parker panned out as being worth the paycheck. The deal came with the added security of a team option in the second year, further lowering the risk for a Chicago team destined for the draft lottery.
But just 29 games into his Bulls tenure and Parker is once again on the outside of an NBA roster.
According to Malika Andrews of ESPN, Chicago head coach Jim Boylen acknowledged that Parker would be unlikely to see minutes moving forward.
"“Well, I think it’s a matchup thing,” Boylen told ESPN. “It’s also hard to play three 4s. It’s difficult to do that. You know, this team is not about one person, one matchup. It’s about the team, and you play your minutes when you’re in there, and when you’re not, you support the guys who are. We have a lot of games left, and we’re going to need all of our people.”"
The decision comes in the wake of Lauri Markkanen’s return from injury at the start of December.
While Parker is built in the vein of situational power forwards like Zach Randolph and Greg Monroe, Markkanen represents the Bulls’ best chances at developing a multifaceted center like Kristaps Porzingis or Pau Gasol.
Now that he is firmly planted on the bench, rumors have begun to spread about Parker’s potential landing spot. The Utah Jazz have allegedly proposed a deal that would swap Parker for Favors, in a move that could stimulate Utah’s hot-then-cold offense.
But what about the Miami Heat?
Though Miami’s roster is still wildly inconsistent—the Heat have already used 12 different starting lineups through 29 games this season—Parker would bring an upside to the team in the form of $20 million in cap relief, assuming Miami declines his contract at the end of the season.
Miami could effectively shed Tyler Johnson in a one-for-one deal, or for a combination of players, like James Johnson and Wayne Ellington, in exchange for Parker.
But no matter how badly Miami needs cap space, a deal for Parker just doesn’t make sense.
Parker problems
The thing about trades in the NBA is that generally, the teams involved should be better off than when they started.
For Chicago, trading Parker for long term deals is useless, as benching him and declining his team option for 2019-20 would open up his $20 million for another free agent looking to salvage one of the most iconic franchise in NBA history.
Why jeopardize that for the players Miami can provide? Given the Bulls’ youth and turmoil, any of Miami’s veteran offerings would be grossly out of place.
But from Miami’s side of the fence, Parker represents the one thing that Miami desperately needs: cap space.
Declining his team option would reduce the pressure that builds in Miami with each passing loss. Still far from a contender, Miami is maxed out on salaries with a group of role players who have yet to prove anything beyond the first round of the playoffs is achievable.
But for how sweet that extra chunk of cash would be in the short term, it’s unlikely to lead to anything better than another bad decision.
The biggest names of the 2019 free agency class—Kevin Durant, Kemba Walker Al Horford, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard—are already off the table for Miami.
These players eclipse the paltry $20 million pittance Miami could offer (which could be roughly $33 million discounting Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, Ellington and Rodney McGruder’s deals, though that severely guts Miami’s ability to sign complementary players).
Even if they were keen on a paycut, the Heat do not present a situation likely to be worth their time. Leonard, Durant, Horford and Thompson are already on the some of the best teams in the NBA, what can Miami offer him that Golden State, Toronto and Boston can’t?
Then, anyone below this rung of talent—Khris Middleton, Tobias Harris, Nikola Vucevic—are better suited for a massive payout from their current teams, given their pre-established fit and rapport.
Of course, dipping even further into the free agent pool would be yet another reminder of the NBA’s cyclical nature. Few players below the Middleton or Harris level could make the case to earn $20 million with the Heat.
Miami is already paying Johnson nearly $20 million per year, for 11 points per game; they can’t make the same mistake twice.
Maybe it’s boring to say, but Miami is better off reveling in Wade’s victory lap around the NBA, than trying to fix its roster overnight. When Miami committed to their signees in 2016, there was the immediate suspicion that the acquired talent might not be worthy of max money.
Besides, with Dion Waiters still out and plenty more players trying to get healthy, Miami has yet to reach its full potential this season.
The bulk of Miami’s contracts aren’t going anywhere this summer, so there’s no sense in rushing things now.