NBA Rumors: Ideal landing spots for the top 6 restricted free agents

Jabari Parker – Atlanta Hawks

One of the more hard-to-pinpoint free agencies is that of Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker. The former number two overall pick has struggled to remain healthy over the course of his career, suffering two ACL tears and playing just 82 games over the last two seasons. Based on his discouraging injury history, teams will have to think twice before forking over a hefty offer sheet to Parker. But if they are willing to pony up the money for a fewer amount of years, the Atlanta Hawks would make sense for Parker.

Last season, the Hawks finished tied for the third worst record in the NBA (24-58) and are a team that is far from posing a playoff threat. But after selecting Oklahoma guard Trae Young in the NBA Draft and watching swingman Taurean Prince prosper in his second season alongside Dennis Schroder, Atlanta has some players they can begin to build around. Simultaneously, they will, undoubtedly, need more pieces to turn the corner; Parker can potentially be another building block for the Hawks.

Signing Parker to a massive deal will be a risk for any team, the Hawks included, but when he’s on the floor, the Duke product is a skillful player. He can get to the hole, use his size to his advantage on both ends, and is an above average defender. In the 2016-17 season, Parker averaged a career-high 20.1 points per game. That scoring would bode well with the Hawks, and his presence would deepen their core – inserting more optimism down South going forward.