Summary

Back in 2014, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker were thought of as two of the best prospects of the decade. Fast forward over five years, and neither have lived up to expectations. There's no denying that Parker has talent, but he has yet to prove that he can positively contribute to winning.

 

Due to his limitations on defense, Parker is strictly a power forward. He doesn't have the defensive ability to stay in front of wings, and can't protect the rim as a small-ball center. Parker also struggles due to his old-school style game, as he operates almost exclusively inside the three point line. While many power forwards struggle to contain Parker, he doesn't score at an efficient enough rate to make up for his flaws in other areas. It's hard to imagine Parker's role on a competitive team, which could make his free agency difficult if he decides to opt out.

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Cap Considerations

Parker has a $6.5 million player option for next season, and if he declines that option he will be an unrestricted free agent with a $7.8 million cap hold and Non-Bird Rights.

 

If Parker is brought back using Non-Bird rights rather than cap space, the Kings will be limited to paying him a starting salary of $7.8 million, which should be enough. If Parker demands more than $7.8 million, the Kings could use their Non-Taxpayer MLE to re-sign him, or they could use cap space in the unlikely scenario they operate under the cap.

 

Teams other than the Kings will have multiple ways to sign Parker, as even teams without cap space could possibly use the $9.3 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level exception to sign him, but if Parker opts out of $6.5 million, he is unlikely to be available for the $5.7 million Taxpayer MLE or the $4.8 million Room MLE.