The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA season. After speculation of them being a fringe playoff team and winning their first two games of the season, Atlanta lost 14 of their next 17 games and now sit well out of the playoff hunt as the last place team in the Eastern Conference standings.
Being that Atlanta is a whopping 8.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic almost halfway through the season, it's safe to say the team will not make the playoffs and may look to shake things up.
The team's lone star, Trae Young, is upset. He voiced his frustrations following losses earlier this month and was told that some changes will be made to get him some more help.
One of those changes could very well be Jabari Parker, who has slowly but surely turned into a journeymen, being that the Atlanta Hawks are his fourth NBA team in his eight seasons in the league.
Parker was valuable to the Hawks earlier this season. When starting power forward John Collins was suspended 25 games for PED use, Parker entered the starting lineup and thrived, racking up 15.4 points per game-the second best mark of his career, while totaling 6.1 rebounds per game and 1.8 assists per game.
As Ben Ladner reported for Hawks Maven earlier this month, Parker is probably the most likely trade candidate on the Hawks, due to his cheap contract and bevy of experience as an NBA four.
Jabari Parker might be the most likely trade candidate once John Collins returns from suspension on December 23. Parker is playing on a one-year, $6.5 million contract (with a player option for next season), which shouldn’t be a difficult amount to trade if Atlanta wants to get a deal done. That would leave the Hawks thin at power forward, however, and it’s unlikely they get anyone as good as Parker in return in that sort of price range.
A quality power forward in the modern NBA needs to be able to stretch the floor and keep defenses honest with a decent three-point shot. A lack of a reliable three-point stroke is probably what's keeping buyers at the trade deadline wary of Parker, who only shoots one three a game and only makes it 27.7 percent of the time.
Despite his struggles behind the arc, a case could be made that Parker is a quality basketball player who just hasn't found his footing with the right team who can use his interior scoring and defensive presence inside.
Earlier this week, the Hawks were rumored as a team interested in acquiring Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams via trade. With his cheap contract and the fact that Parker and Adams play a similar position, it's likely that Parker would be thrown into a theoretical deal.
Perhaps with a franchise with a solid infrastructure, like the San Antonio Spurs or the Boston Celtics, Parker can thrive and play with himself for the first time in his professional career. If the eight-year veteran can manage to improve his three-point shot before the season's end, more than a few playoff teams could be blowing up the Hawks' phone inquiring about the former Duke standout.
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