Last week, it was reported that the Chicago Bulls are in talks with a number of teams who have shown interest in Jabari Parker, whom the team signed as a free agent in the 2018 offseason. A new report claims that the Utah Jazz might be among those hoping to acquire the former second overall draft pick, as the latter team is looking to improve its frontcourt offense by trading away longtime starting power forward Derrick Favors.
Citing multiple unnamed league sources, the Ringer‘s Kevin O’Connor wrote that the Jazz have shown interest in trading for the 23-year-old Parker, as Favors is an “awkward fit” alongside starting center Rudy Gobert, with his $16.9 million salary for the 2019-20 season being non-guaranteed. O’Connor noted, however, that the Bulls might have to wait about a month if they push forward with the trade, as Favors won’t be eligible for a trade until January 15.
Although O’Connor stressed that Jabari Parker’s stock has fallen in recent weeks, he added that he could benefit from being traded to the Utah Jazz due to their lack of offensive punch. Parker’s reputation as a poor defender was also brought up, though O’Connor believes it won’t be much of an issue for the Jazz, whose starting lineup features tough defensive players such as Gobert and starting guards Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell.
As reported last Friday by the Chicago Tribune, new Bulls head coach Jim Boylen removed Parker from the team’s rotation, doing so despite his lucrative two-year, $40 million contract and his solid play while starting in place of Lauri Markkanen and Bobby Portis at power forward. Parker, who averages 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, is listed as doubtful for Chicago’s upcoming game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET, per CBS Sports.
Meanwhile, Favors is currently averaging 11.2 points, 7.1 points, and 1.3 blocks per game for the Jazz. As his Basketball-Reference player page suggests, these numbers are very similar to his 2017-18 statistics, despite how he is averaging fewer minutes in the 2018-19 season.
While CBS Sports agreed with O’Connor’s prediction that Jabari Parker could give the Utah Jazz’s offense a boost, the publication opined that it doesn’t seem likely for the Bulls to trade him for Derrick Favors. With Markkanen, Portis, Robin Lopez, and rookie Wendell Carter Jr. all splitting minutes at the power forward and center positions, CBS Sports wrote that it “wouldn’t make sense” to add another veteran big man who might expect substantial playing time. The financial implications of the deal were also questioned, as the Bulls might not end up saving any money due to the fact that Parker’s contract has a team option for the second year.
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