Milwaukee Bucks: 5 Biggest Questions Following Jabari Parker Injury News
By Adam McGee
What Does This Mean For Parker’s Extension Chances?
Much like his teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo received his own long-term extension to stay in Milwaukee last summer, Jabari Parker will be eligible for an early extension this summer.
Prior to injury it would have seemed like a certainty that Parker would have received a similar extension, coming in somewhere just below max contract level, but now the contract landscape is much more uncertain.
In all likelihood, the Bucks and Parker won’t be agreeing terms on an extension this summer, unless the player decides to opt for the option of some added security ahead of his return from one of the most serious injuries in sport for a second time.
If an extension was somehow reached, I’d expect it to come in the form of a significantly reduced deal in terms of value. Although both sides would much rather that the situation was pushing them together to discuss a big money extension, there could still be an element of this route offering some sort of win for both sides.
A cheaper extension being negotiated would be a big win for the Bucks’ longer term flexibility if they remain confident of Jabari’s ability to make a full and sustained recovery, while for the player he’d know that regardless of the outcome of his rehabilitation and future playing days he’d have some meaningful security in place to fall back on.
Still, I’d guess the most likely scenario at this point would seem to be that the Bucks exercise caution, Parker bets on himself, and both sides assess what they want to do in the summer of 2018 after Jabari has been back for a few months and is set to enter restricted free agency.