Bucks, Jabari Parker do not reach deal for extension

The Milwaukee Bucks and Jabari Parker did not come to an agreement on an extension before Monday's 5 p.m. deadline for players in the 2014 NBA draft class.

Without a deal in place, Parker will play out the remaining season of his rookie-scale contract and will be a restricted free agent next summer.

Parker's health was a complicating factor in the extension talks. Since joining the Bucks as the No. 2 pick in the 2014 draft, Parker has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee twice. The first injury came in December 2014 during his rookie season and the second came this past February.

“Extensions are a little more difficult to do sometimes and I think this one had some unique circumstances around it," said Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports & Entertainment, Parker's agent.

"The good news is Jabari could not be more excited about where he is physically and there is absolutely no doubt in our minds he'll be back even more athletic than he was prior to the injury.

"He wants to be an elite, elite player in this league and try to help the Bucks win championships and that’s where his focus is. This wasn’t the right time to make a deal, that’s probably the best way I would describe it.”

The rehabilitation process for the second tear is ongoing and is expected to keep Parker out of action until February. He spent much of his off-season working out with members of the Bucks' training staff in Milwaukee and has made great strides. Parker is already back to running, dunking and going up against teammates in one-on-one drills.

Parker believes his progress is ahead of schedule compared to his last ACL rehab. However, the plan has long been for him to clear checkpoints on the way toward a return in February and that timetable remains unchanged.

"The Bucks have been great with him," Bartelstein said. "They have poured a tremendous amount of time and energy and resources into helping him come back. This is why we are so confident that he has not even scratched the surface of who he is going to be as a player in this league.

"The Bucks medical staff has been, I don’t even know if I have the right words to describe it. They’ve just done an incredible job. I think Jabari wants to come back and show everybody he’s back to playing at an unbelievably elite level.”

Bucks' Jabari Parker looks ready to play, but he's not rushing back

When he's been on the court, Parker has been a vital component of the Bucks' young core. Before tearing his ACL last season, he was averaging 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33.9 minutes per game while shooting a career-high 36.5% from three-point range. He was in the conversation for an all-star spot and meshed well with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

With his injury, though, it became less likely the Bucks would offer Parker the type of money Andrew Wiggins or Joel Embiid — the Nos. 1 and 3 picks in the 2014 draft, respectively — received when they recently signed their extensions.

Both Wiggins and Embiid inked five-year, $148 million maximum extensions that will kick in next season. Embiid's reportedly includes language to protect the Philadelphia 76ers should Embiid — who has only played 31 games in three seasons — suffer specific injuries.

Parker is far from the only player entering the final year of his rookie deal who did not receive a contract extension. Only four 2014 draftees signed early extensions, with No. 4 pick Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic and No. 6 pick Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics representing other notable players who did not reach agreements with their teams.

The Bucks may not have moved to lock up Parker now, but the team still holds him in high regard. As a restricted free agent next summer, the Bucks will have the opportunity to match any offer sheet submitted by another team.

"He's on track, he's looking stronger, healthier than he ever has and we truly believe he's going to come back that way," general manager Jon Horst said on Sept. 25.

"If we don't (come to an extension agreement), we want to be in a place where we can have the same type of productive conversations again as a restricted free agent with a player who we value significantly in our franchise."

The Bucks did not extend Parker, but they did claim guard DeAndre Liggins off waivers Monday.

The addition of Liggins, a 6-foot-6 wing, brings the Bucks' roster to a full 15 players. His contract is minimal and non-guaranteed, which means it's possible his spot in Milwaukee may not be long-term.

Liggins, 29, has been on the move continually since joining the Orlando Magic as the 53rd overall pick in the 2011 draft.

He has played for five NBA teams since 2011, logging 119 appearances. His most consistent output came last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers when he played in 61 games, averaging 2.4 points and 12.3 minutes per game before being waived in April.

Since then, Liggins has been picked up by the Dallas Mavericks, traded to the Houston Rockets, immediately flipped to the Los Angeles Clippers in the blockbuster trade involving Chris Paul and then right before training camp he was traded to and immediately waived by the Atlanta Hawks. Liggins then caught on with the Miami Heat on Oct. 10 before being waived on Saturday.

In addition to bouncing around the NBA, Liggins has spent time playing in Russia and Germany as well as in the NBA G League.

He was a two-time G League defensive player of the year with the Sioux Falls Skyforce in 2014 and 2016 and over his G League career has played 95 games, averaging 13.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists while playing 38.2 minutes per game.