Milwaukee Bucks: Will any outgoing free agents return next season?

Jabari Parker

It would have been tough to imagine at the time he was drafted and unveiled by the team at the Milwaukee Public Market, but as he prepares to become a free agent for the first time, Jabari Parker is an enigma.

Between the highs and lows of his play, how his production and effort fluctuates from night to night, significant concerns over his health, and a host of barbed and disruptive comments, making a decision on Parker’s next contract is about as difficult as any in the NBA in recent years.

On the one hand, he’s a potential star with immense talent, and this restricted free agency gives the Bucks the opportunity to control his future for the next four years. The best case scenario involves Parker staying healthy and being a key contributor on a championship contender, but even a more moderate timeline could see him capably contribute while also offering the potential to ultimately be a trade chip in a larger deal.

The opposite side of the coin presents the Bucks with a decision that has the potential to completely sink their current lofty ambitions. With major salary cap headaches already, paying Parker even a somewhat modest amount over a three or four-year period could leave the Bucks with their hands tied on how to maximize the window before Giannis Antetokounmpo hits unrestricted free agency.

With two knee injuries in the last three years, Parker could have the misfortune of suffering a similarly devastating injury again, he may continue to look as uncomfortable a fit alongside the Bucks best players as he has done for most of his pro career, and as a new wrinkle, there’s also the potential for a disgruntled player disrupting those around him if he’s brought back to a team without room for the kind of role he desires while being paid less than he feels he deserves.

Of course, most of these questions are also going to be under consideration from franchises around the NBA. What’s the market going to look like for Parker? Are any of the few teams with cap space going to be particularly interested in signing him? At this point, your guess is good as mine.

Likelihood to return: 6/10. To put the odds of Parker coming back at being greater than him leaving is not to suggest any belief in that being the overwhelming desire of either the Bucks or Parker, himself. Instead, restricted free agency simply stacks those cards in their favor.

For a player who may not be greeted by the kind of lucrative market he was once hoping for, Milwaukee’s ability to match a cheap deal leaves a return on the cards. If total disaster strikes for Parker, signing the qualifying offer to play out his contract may also become a consideration. Parker could well be back, but I don’t foresee any true happy ending which leaves both him and the Bucks thrilled with the outcome.