Jabari Parker‘s new contract with the Celtics runs for two seasons and includes a pair of guarantee dates for 2021-22, according to Jared Weiss and Jason Jones of The Athletic. Parker will receive $100K if he remains on the roster through July 31, but that date could change if the league calendar is adjusted, and another $1,041,517 if he is still with the team at the start of next season. According to sources, those combined figures are half of his total $2,283,034 salary with Boston.
The Celtics represent the latest chance for Parker, who was the second player chosen in the 2014 draft. Injuries and other factors have prevented Parker from establishing himself, as Boston will be his seventh team in seven years. He played three games for the Kings this season before being waived last month.
Former Sacramento general manager Vlade Divac was intrigued enough by Parker to trade for him at last year’s deadline, Jones states, but Parker was injured and out of shape when he reported to the team. He contracted COVID-19 before the summer resumption, which prevented him from making an impact in Orlando. He was in better condition when training camp began in December, but suffered a back injury and took time away from the team for personal reasons.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics‘ decision to waive Moritz Wagner to make room for Parker was a matter of fit, Weiss and Jones add. Luke Kornet has established himself as the team’s third center and Grant Williams has been playing in the middle in small-ball lineups. Wagner doesn’t have a next team lined up yet, but he will try to return to the league this season, a source tells the authors. He wouldn’t be eligible for the playoffs with a new team because he was on Boston’s roster past April 9.
- The Knicks‘ path toward becoming playoff contenders began with a minicamp last summer, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. While 22 teams were in Orlando for the resumption, the other eight were given permission to have a two-week session with players and coaches. That gave newly hired Tom Thibodeau a chance to get to know his personnel and introduce his system.
- The Raptors have been fined $25K for “failing to comply with league policies governing player rest and injury reporting,” the NBA announced.
More must-reads: