Chicago Bulls officially interested in Jabari Parker, per report
By Ryan Heckman
Over the past few days, rumors have swirled of the Chicago Bulls being interested in a hometown kid. Now, it’s official.
The Chicago Bulls have done little on the Zach LaVine front thus far in free agency, but we are just hours into the frenzy. However, there is now one player’s name which is officially linked to the Bulls and could end up receiving an offer.
Milwaukee Bucks restricted free agent forward Jabari Parker is familiar with the Windy City. At Simeon Academy, Parker became the first high school freshman ever to start for their varsity team. Simeon is notorious for churning out some of the best Chicago talent, and Parker is no exception.
After plenty of fans have weighed in on both positive and negative spins, one thing is now official: The Bulls are interested.
I'm told that Jabari Parker, who was born and raised in Chicago, has received interest from the Chicago Bulls. The 23-year-old is a restricted free agent, so the Milwaukee Bucks can match any offer sheet he signs.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 1, 2018
The most interesting part of all this, is whether or not the Bucks would match an offer for Parker. Parker has been tormented by injuries since his rookie season back in 2014. In December of his rookie campaign, Parker tore his ACL and missed the remainder of the season.
In February of 2017, Parker tore his ACL yet again, in the same left knee he hurt three years prior. Two ACL tears in three seasons doesn’t bode well for a 23-year-old kid looking for a payday, but having youth on his side should help just a bit.
It might be too much of a temptation for the Bulls not to pursue Parker. Obviously, age comes into play and he could have a ton of basketball in his future still. Parker’s skillset has never been in question, either. The biggest question is whether or not the Bucks will match an offer.
When on the court, Parker is a legitimate scoring threat and a versatile forward who can potentially guard and play multiple positions. At 6-foot-8 and still quite athletic when healthy, Parker’s post game is well-developed for being so young. But, he also has the ability to both guard and play on the perimeter.
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Should the Bulls pursue him? Well, it seems like we’re past that question. The Bulls are, in fact, interested and may end up shooting an offer his way sooner than later.