2018 NBA free agency grades: Charlotte Hornets landing Tony Parker
NBA veteran Tony Parker shocked the world by agreeing to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets. Here are the grades for the acquisition.
The 36-year-old Tony Parker decided to leave his home for the last 17 years and join Michael Jordan‘s team, the Charlotte Hornets. The team’s wish to find a decent backup for their superstar, Kemba Walker, has finally materialized. Parker is one of the most experienced players in the league and can still produce, even in his late 30s.
Tony Parker has quite a resume. He is a six-time All-Star, four-time NBA champion, as well as a one-time Finals MVP. Thus far, he has only played for the San Antonio Spurs, having created a dynasty with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Gregg Popovich. They were famous for their specific style of play that relied heavily on ball movement and defense, all centered around Tony Parker.
With one of the highest basketball IQs we’ve ever seen, even at the age of 36, every team would be lucky to have him either as a starter or a backup. He can slow the tempo of the game when the opposition is on fire and can create open shots for Charlotte’s shooters. Most importantly, he can mentor the other youngsters on the roster like Malik Monk, Miles Bridges and Frank Kaminsky.
Now let’s examine why Tony Parker decided to leave a playoff team that he had a lot of love for in order to back up Kemba Walker on the — not so promising — Charlotte Hornets. To find the answer to that, we may not have to investigate too much. The reason for the departure of Tony Parker could be Kawhi Leonard.
In March 2018, the Spurs had a meeting to try and persuade Kawhi to make a return to their lineup after his injury, in order to make a push for the postseason. After the meeting, Parker said that his injury was 100 times worse. Even though Parker had never had a problem with Kawhi, things were not the same when it comes to the 27-year-old forward. What came after that was a couple of months full of drama, that ended up with Kawhi demanding a trade.
As a result, perhaps letting Tony Parker walk away might be the first step in San Antonio’s plan for keeping Kawhi. Maybe they can convince him to stay and even sign an extension. Even though Parker had been there for 17 seasons, the Spurs may have set their priorities straight. Or it could just signal the beginning of the end of an era.
When it comes to the Charlotte Hornets, they will probably use Parker as a sixth man to provide some much-needed rest to their superstar, Walker — something that was missing from their game plan in the 2017-18 NBA season. They are also pairing him up with fellow Frenchman Nicolas Batum, having two players very familiar with each other’s game.
This is a great move by the Hornets when you compare the ridiculous amount of money some other point guards are getting paid, none of which share the incredible read for the game with Tony Parker. Coming off a season in which he came off the bench while averaging 7.5 points and 3.5 assists per game, Parker is ready for the next chapter in his NBA career.
Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Grade: A