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Cleveland Cavaliers: 8 quality free agents who will accelerate rebuild

By Tony Pesta

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 10: Derrick Jones Jr. #5 of the Miami Heat looks on in the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on February 10, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 10: Derrick Jones Jr. #5 of the Miami Heat looks on in the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on February 10, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

8. Jabari Parker

First on our list is Jabari Parker. One of the most hyped prospects of the massively disappointing 2014 NBA Draft, Parker will likely never be the next ‘Carmelo Anthony’ as many had proclaimed him to be. This doesn’t mean he can’t find success in the league.

Parker has played for five different teams in his six-year career, with four jersey swaps in the last two seasons. Most recently, Parker has landed in Sacramento where he appeared in just one game for the Kings before play was halted across the league.

His failed stints with the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks weren’t very encouraging. He has consistently ranked in the bottom 300-400 of the league in net rating and was a woeful defender last season, posting the seventh-worst defensive rating in the entire league.

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The only excuse Parker has is that he has been a member of historically bad defensive teams for the last few years. The Hawks, Wizards and Bulls all ranked in the bottom five for defensive rating. This suggests Parker wasn’t the sole reason for their failures.

The last time Parker had an effective season was in 2017 when he averaged a career-high 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds. Still, he had the worst defensive rating on the Bucks and ranked 12th in net rating of 14 players on the roster to appear in 25+ games.

At 24 years of age, Parker’s potential is quickly dwindling. He is still a capable scorer, averaging almost 15 points on 50 percent shooting. However, this next season could serve as his last opportunity to clean his reputation and save his career. Finding a focused role as a spark plug seems to be his best fit moving forward.

The Cavaliers are a perfect landing destination for Parker to shine a short-term deal. Cleveland had the seventh-lowest scoring bench last season, leaving an opportunity for Parker to succeed as a pure scorer with the second unit. He isn’t the best option the Cavaliers have, but a one-year experiment on the former No. 2 pick can’t hurt them too much.

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