Jabari Parker #5 of the Atlanta Hawks dunks the ball during the first half of their game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on December 17, 2019 in New York City. Emilee Chinn/Getty Images/AFP
The Boston Celtics added front-court depth on Friday by signing journeyman power forward Jabari Parker, the second pick overall in the 2014 draft.
Parker, 26, played previously with five NBA teams, most recently the Sacramento Kings, whom he joined on Feb. 6, 2020, via a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. He appeared in nine games with the Kings over parts of two seasons and was waived on March 25.
The Celtics announced the signing and stated that Moritz Wagner, a trade-deadline acquisition three weeks ago, was waived to make room for Parker. While terms of Parker’s deal weren’t announced, The Athletic reported that he got a two-year contract.
In 288 games covering seven seasons, Parker has made 190 starts. He is averaging 14.8 points on 49.3 percent shooting while grabbing 5.7 rebounds in just under 29 minutes per game.
Parker has twice dealt with ACL tears in his right knee, hampering his ability to live up to high draft status. The first was early in his rookie season, and the second happened in February 2017. In 51 games during the 2016-17 season, he averaged a career-high 20.1 points to go with 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
Parker was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks spent four seasons with them. He played for the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards in 2018-19.
The Celtics have struggled to find consistency this season and were 21-23 in late March. More recently, they have won five straight and nine of 12 to sit tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference with the Atlanta Hawks at 30-26.
Parker, who needs to clear the NBA’s health and safety protocols, would join Semi Ojeleye and Grant Williams in vying for playing time behind starting power forward Jayson Tatum.