The Milwaukee Bucks are officially headed to the NBA playoffs—and for the first time of his career, Jabari Parker is going with them.
Though this will mark the third time the team has journeyed to the postseason since drafting him, Parker has been absent during the first two go-rounds due to ACL injuries. But he’s not on the shelf now, and he’s naturally excited to get his first taste of playoff basketball.
And yet, while Parker is focused on making the most of this moment, he’s also thinking about the future. He will be a restricted free agent this summer, at which time he’s expected to draw some level of interest around the league, despite his injury history. His preference, however, is to remain in Milwaukee, per the Journal Sentinel‘s Matt Velazquez:
While Parker’s focus is on each game and ultimately his first chance to participate in the playoffs, Parker hopes everything that is happening now will lead him to stay in Milwaukee for seasons to come.
“Yeah, it definitely is a hope,” Parker said. “I never really wanted to leave in the first place. This summer was kind of tough on me when I was going through my contract extension, but you know, you’ve got to move on and hopefully it ends in a good place.”
Parker’s latest sentiments come on the heels of him telling The Washington Post‘s Tim Bontemps that his future with the team is uncertain. He could be just doing some damage control following that, or he could genuinely want to stay in Milwaukee.
Truth told, it doesn’t really matter. The decision doesn’t lie with him. The Bucks have the right to match any offer receives. And given that less than half the league will have significant cap space this summer, it’s unlikely they encounter a rival overture that compels them to let him leave for nothing.
