Chicago Bulls shouldn’t pursue Jabari Parker in free agency

Chicago Bulls are reportedly interested in Jabari Parker. Would a Parker signing be beneficial for the future of the franchise?

Jabari Parker has had a fairly impressive four year NBA career thus far excluding his injuries. He’s one of the top young talents that people always seem to forget about. Parker was the number one recruit out of high school and can return to that glory with the right team. But are the Chicago Bulls that team?

Obtaining Parker this offseason is certainly possible and maybe even likely

The Bulls and Parker seem to have mutual interest per reports and there is still a good possibility of signing him. Add in the fact that the Bucks are currently hard-capped and that possibility seems even more likely.

Parker was born and raised in Chicago and attended Simeon Career Academy which is the same school Derrick Rose went to. Not only is he used to the area, but the Bulls could use some firepower at the small forward position. By default, Chicago seems like a great choice for the restricted free agent.

However, a few factors may give that statement a little less truth. Jabari Parker is a great young talent, but he isn’t necessarily the best fit for the Bulls and their future.

Jabari Parker needs the ball in his hands to be the player we want him to be

When looking at Parker’s game, it becomes clear that his best asset is his ability to score. Just two seasons ago before his ACL injury, he averaged an impressive 20.1 points per contest in 51 games. He did this in about 34 minutes as the second option to Giannis Antetokounmpo meaning he had the ball in his hands a lot.

Jabari Parker signing on as the new small forward for the Bulls means that some of our established young core may not develop like expected. Parker isn’t a spot up shooter or an elite defender and thrives off of scoring. With Parker and Lavine likely becoming the first and second options, someone like Lauri Markkanen will become just a spot up shooter and he’s so much more capable than that. This is questionable considering that Markkanen is meant to be the cornerstone of the franchise.

Even guys like Wendell Carter Jr may see a diminished role. With Parker, Lavine, and Markkanen taking up the majority of the scoring load, Carter may not get as many touches down low in the post. His game could take more of an emphasis on defense and rebounding instead of all-around play and that’s not the type of player he’s supposed to be.

Is a 3rd option Jabari Parker really what the Chicago Bulls are looking for?

Let’s assume that Parker accepts a role as the third option behind Markkanen and Lavine. Is this really what the Bulls are looking for in terms of the future? Guys like Trevor Ariza, Danny Green, and Wesley Matthews all make a name for themselves by being effective without the ball constantly in their hands. Jabari Parker isn’t one of those guys to me.

While certainly not a bad shooter, it’s definitely not his focus. Parker shot under 30% from beyond the arc during his first two seasons as a Buck. He now shoots 38% on 2.6 attempts per contest but that still doesn’t justify him as a shooter. Not to mention, Parker is known to be a fairly lackluster defender. With Zach Lavine-hopefully- still on the roster, and a raw Lauri Markkanen still working on his frame, does another bad defender in Parker on the wing make much sense for the future?

Even if he decides to take on a lesser role, we’ll basically be taking away what makes him so special in the first place. Why spend the money on a high level talent when he wouldn’t even be able to utilize his talent enough to be as effective as possible?

Injuries still play a role in this decision

Zach Lavine isn’t necessarily injury prone but he’s had an ACL injury. Jabari Parker has had the same ACL injury and a decent amount of other ones. Sometimes, there are risks that need to be taken for success but this risk doesn’t make sense to me. Considering all of the aforementioned factors already, injury risk just makes this a lot less intriguing to me.

Not only would Parker either drastically change the flow of the offense or be a fairly lackluster wing depending on his role, but he could get injured once again. This may seem like an unfair judgement, but look at his injury history. The ACL wasn’t the only issue. Parker has had sprained knees and feet and he tore his ACL more than once. His fit with the system and impact on the team can be argued on both sides, but the injury history on top of all of that just makes this signing a whole lot less intriguing in my eyes.

Zach Lavine is a priority

Given the fact that the Chicago Bulls, and most fans, are still 100% behind Lavine, we need to re-sign him before we even think about Parker. If we somehow miss out on Lavine, then I’m all for Parker. The reality is that Lavine should and will take precedent as he’s younger and generally more healthy. Not to mention, he was the key selling point of the Jimmy Butler trade and it’s way too soon to get rid of him. I’d say it’s one or the other considering their games may not mesh.

If Parker was somehow willing to play off the bench, that would be a phenomenal signing. However, he is almost undoubtedly going to want a starting role and that’s not a role I’d be willing to give up for the future. Especially considering that Chandler Hutchinson could be a potential draft steal.

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Keep in mind, this is all speculation and simply one take on the matter. A Jabari Parker signing could be great for the franchise. As always, Bulls fans will just have to wait and see.