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The Milwaukee Bucks face a tough decision coming into this season, with only days to ponder if they should give their prized power forward Jabari Parker a contract extension.
The front office will have until Oct. 16 to make a decision on the matter — a tough call given that Parker suffered a second torn ACL, which limited him to only 51 games last season.
Parker had shown a massive improvement in his three-point shooting and his scoring, tallying a convincing 20.1 points per game on 49 percent shooting from the field and 36.5 percent from deep.
The 6-foot-8 Duke product has been recovering from his injury, expected to continue his rehabilitation until February.
“I can do everything right now,” Parker said Monday at Bucks Media Day, according to Matt Velasquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It's just building and making it repetitive and growing in that aspect.”
General manager Jon Horst noted the pivotal decision that awaits the team and the steps they'll take toward reaching it prior to the mid-October deadline.
“First off, Jabari … we're extremely proud of where he's at right now,” Horst said. “No one has worked harder in his rehab process than what he's done. … He's on track, he's looking stronger, healthier than he ever has and we truly believe he's going to come back that way.
“In terms of the contract, we have a decision to make by the middle of October, basically, Oct. 16. The injury part of it is a factor in the discussions, of course. We're having great discussions with his representative; we're going to continue to work through that. Hopefully, the goal is to come to an extension agreement. If we don't, we want to be in a place where we can have the same type of productive conversations again as a restricted free agent with a player who we value significantly in our franchise.”
The 22-year-old has certainly raised concerns with his health, playing in only 152 games combined during his first three seasons in the league. The Bucks could also make his rookie extension something similar to Stephen Curry's bargain four-year, $44 million which set the franchise up for success in the following years — taking a low-risk, high-reward approach and being vindicated with two championships in the past three years.
“I have no clue (what's going on) and that's why I pay 3 percent (to my agent),” Parker said. “I let them do all the madness.”
While the sum offered would have to match today's more-profitable deals, the two parties could come to an agreement similar to that, allowing the team to invest on their former second overall pick without risking losing the house on it.
