Milwaukee Bucks: What impact does Jabari Parker’s future have on the present and future?

What if Jabari takes the qualifying offer?

If Parker signs the qualifying offer, the Bucks’ limited options for this summer would become even more restricted. Looking toward 2019, though, the Bucks’ situation would be no different to Parker leaving for another team and coming off the books next summer.

Signing the qualifying offer would see Parker play out the final season of his rookie contract in Milwaukee before hitting free agency as an unrestricted free agent next summer.

As a result, the Bucks would no longer have any control over Parker’s long-term destination, and he would be free to field offers from any potential suitors. It doesn’t mean the Bucks still couldn’t be the team to re-sign him on his next deal, but it would become very unlikely.

It’s very rare for players to sign a qualifying offer, and if it comes to that, it generally signals their willingness to make sure they’re playing for a new team in the following season. If Parker holds any resentment toward the Bucks for not coming to terms on an extension last summer, it would only be much worse if he feels they didn’t offer him an acceptable deal this time around.

With Parker’s health issues, this would be a major risk as he’d have a full year where he’d need to stay healthy to prove himself and earn his next contract, yet if it comes to this being his best option, his injury history will likely already have deterred teams from trying to sign him this year.