Milwaukee Bucks: 3 reasons Jabari Parker will be missed
1. Who else can the Bucks get?
This is one of the saddest arguments in sports. The Milwaukee Bucks have a top-10 talent in Giannis Antetokounmpo and one of the most underrated players in the league with Khris Middleton. Plus, they get to trot out former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon. With the brilliant Mike Budenholzer taking his Spurs knowledge to the Bucks, shouldn’t Milwaukee be a free agent destination?
Unfortunately, marquee players tend to leave Milwaukee instead of move there. Sometimes we forget that professional athletes are people too, and often want to work in those beautiful, coastal American cities. Although they are unveiling a new arena, Milwaukee is regrettably not yet a desirable free agent destination.
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Jabari Parker is not an All-Star, but he has the talent to be one. I fear that Milwaukee balked on taking that risk. Instead, they let a division rival take that gamble. Will the Bucks be able to draw in players with potential or talent comparable to Parker? History tells us that small-market teams struggle in this area.
How else can a team acquire talent in this league? Drafting seems to be the answer. Yet, Milwaukee has been consistently picking players in the middle of the first round. Traditionally, this is a place where it becomes harder to find stars, despite the Bucks drafting the Greek Freek with the 15th overall pick.
Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, frequently talks about risk profile. To win titles and therefore beat modern super teams, teams must operate with a high-risk, high-reward mentality. This applies to the Bucks as well.
Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Parker was not a star in Milwaukee and certainly did not reach his ceiling. Yet, is there another player the Bucks could obtain who has as much potential to be a star? Sadly, we may already know the answer to this question.