The Chicago Bulls have engaged teams in trade talks with several teams involving forward Jabari Parker, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. This comes at the heels of Parker's demotion from the Bulls' regular rotation, as new head coach Jim Boylen hasn't seen his defense pick up throughout 29 games played this season.
The Bulls acquired Parker after the Milwaukee Bucks renounced him as a restricted free agent, allowing Chicago to sign him to a two-year, $40 million deal in the summer.
The organization has quickly come to regret that decision, given that his fit as a small forward and power forward has proven less than satisfactory, given his defensive shortcomings.
Parker has been willing to take a step back, but still insists he doesn't know why he was kept out of the rotation beyond it being Boylen's wishes.
The 6-foot-8 Parker hasn't had any success at his natural power forward position and he's proven too slow to handle the small forward position, often becoming a liability at the defensive end.
Parker doesn't expect the move out of the rotation to be a permanent one, but given he's being dangled prior to the Dec. 15 deadline (when players who signed in this past summer are eligible to be traded), it looks like the Bulls surely have plans to make it so.
The Bulls own a catastrophic 6-23 record this season and are unlikely to make a push for the playoffs, even with the recent return of Kris Dunn and Bobby Portis into the fold. Parker's hefty $20 million salary should prove somewhat difficult to move, especially with his stock trending down, but Chicago will likely listen to offers that would allow them to get a younger prospect or a valuable draft pick in return.
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