Jabari Parker is headed back to Chicago.
On Saturday morning, the Chi-Town native secured a two-year, $40 million contract with the Bulls. The agreement was announced shortly after the Milwaukee Bucks rescinded their qualifying offer to the NBA forward, thus making him an unrestricted free agent. ESPN reports the Bucks didn't expect to match any offer sheet Parker would've signed with Chicago, so rescinding their offer sheet was a “good-faith gesture” that allowed the athlete to negotiate a short-term deal with the Bulls.
“Jabari and I felt it was in the best interest of both he and the team to rescind our qualifying offer,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. “We appreciate everything Jabari has brought to our team and our community over the last four years and we wish him well.”
According to ESPN, the second of the Parker-Bulls deal is a team option, which is somewhat predictable considering Parker’s injury history. The 23-year-old athlete has suffered multiple ACL tears within the last four years. His most recent injury occurred in February 2017, which caused him to miss all but 31 games of last season.
Shortly after he hit unrestricted free agency, Parker thanked the Bucks for showing him so much support throughout his four-year professional career.
“I am extremely grateful to the Bucks and the incredible fans of Milwaukee for showing me so much love and encouragement,” Parker said. “Specifically, I’d like to thank Jon, Marc, Wes, and Jamie for giving me my start in the NBA and supporting me throughout my career. Thank you to my teammates for being like brothers to me. Also, the medical and performance staff led by Troy Flanagan and Suki Hobson deserve my unending thanks for their dedication in helping me get stronger and healthier every day.”
