When NBA free agency rolls around this July, the most important offseason storylines will once again belong to LeBron James.<\/p>\n
With eight consecutive trips to the NBA Finals under his belt, the highly coveted free agent is seen as the only sure-fire way to move into the title conversation next season.\u00a0Sadly for those not named the Lakers, Cavaliers, 76ers and Rockets, picking up James is about as likely as the Wisconsin football team losing to Minnesota<\/a>.<\/p>\n Instead, other NBA teams will have to pick from the remaining talent pool of free agents to move the needle. One free agent who will likely show up on many wish lists, albeit with a big question mark next to his name: Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker.<\/p>\n Next week, the 23-year-old Parker finds himself in the very unenviable position of entering restricted free agency for the first time after having his young career derailed by not one but two<\/em> torn left ACLs. In four seasons, the former No. 2 overall pick has averaged 15.3 points per game, but has played only 183 out of a possible 328 games. At his best, Parker is a handful for opposing defenses and a reliable 3-point shooter (38.3% in 2017) to help space the floor for All-NBA teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo. But the fact is he hasn\u2019t been at his best very often.<\/p>\n The uncertainty surrounding Parker\u2019s future health makes his value on the free agent market hard to assess. The Bucks had the opportunity to re-sign him last fall, but elected to let Parker head for free agency after the two sides couldn\u2019t reach an agreement on a contract extension.<\/p>\n According to ESPN<\/a>, the deal Parker was offered in October was worth an estimated $54 million over three years (a figure Parker has since denied<\/a>). But sources indicate Parker\u2019s camp still feels he is worth something in the ballpark of a max contract extension, \u00e0 la what fellow 2014 draft pick Andrew Wiggins received from the Timberwolves<\/a>.<\/p>\n After having returned for only 31 games this season, the path to a new contract with the Bucks seems even more doubtful. By many accounts<\/a>, Parker isn\u2019t a good fit for a Bucks team that depends on its strong defense to generate offense. During this year\u2019s playoffs, in fact, Parker\u2019s lackluster defense was so bad that it played him out of the lineup during key stretches of the Bucks\u2019 opening round matchup against the Boston Celtics.<\/p>\n Against quick wings like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Parker couldn\u2019t stay in front of them:<\/p>\n