Sources: Wizards to decline option for forward Jabari Parker
The Washington Wizards will decline the 2019-20 team option on Jabari Parker’s contract, and the forward will become an unrestricted free agent on June 30, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Parker, 24, is valued by the franchise, but this was a decision anticipated by most league executives when the team acquired him from the Chicago Bulls in February.
The Wizards are very much open to re-signing Parker and the interest is mutual, sources said.
The option for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft was worth $20 million on the back end of a two-year, $40 million deal he signed with the Bulls last summer.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Keith Smith, this move gives the Wizards some breathing room under the luxury tax threshold, but they are still a team that’s over the cap.
Parker averaged 15 points and 7.2 rebounds in 25 games with the Wizards in 2018-19. He’s still viewed as a young prospect who has room to grow barring more significant injuries that have impeded his development.
Parker suffered torn ACLs in 2014 and 2017.
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