I totally get the "no way I'd trade the Nets pick for Jabari Parker" stance... I'm just saying there's a good chance in retrospect that stance sounds completely moronic a year from now.
Sure. Parker is still only 20 and has a high ceiling. If that Nets pick winds up being the 6th and we draft wrong, then everyone will say "we should've traded it when we had the chance." That's in play. But we can only make decisions based on the information we have now. I'd rather take a shot at that Nets pick landing in the top 2 than gamble that Parker is going to be a great NBA player without having really shown any signs of that yet.
That said, I'd definitely gamble on Parker's development for a lower price.
Don't forget we also get two additional years of cost control by keeping the pick. Of course there is a chance that Jabari turns into a very good player, but I just think we should have at least seen some glimpses by now.
Honest question... what kind of glimpses would you expect to see of him in game #71 of his career where mid-way through he had major reconstructive surgery? His per-36 so far is 14.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals with 49%/17%/75%
His usage rate is 9th on his team. He was drafted with the intention of being groomed to be a franchise player... the epicenter of an offense. As far as I can tell, they haven't even attempted that yet. And it makes some sense. Michael Carter Williams is ball dominant. Middleton is their best offensive player. Monroe is a black hole. Giannis has a huge role there. OJ Mayo has a big role when he plays. Parker was pegged as the next Melo/Pierce, but so far during what essentially is Jabari's rookie season, Jason Kidd sure hasn't given him a chance to play like that.
Also, they took a major hit defensively this year. Zaza Pachulia anchored their defense last year. Now they have a poor defender (Greg Monroe) playing center and Jabari Parker (not a great defender and probably not a power forward) playing PF. It shouldn't surprise anyone they are struggling. Too many offense-centric players that don't mesh on that team and not enough defense.
Now, I get that people will assume that's because Parker hasn't stepped up. There's only so much a player can do without having plays run for him. He could ignore his coach and try to take over, but that's not very realistic.
In Pierce's prime he was top 4 in the league in usage (30+)... Melo as a rookie had a usage of 26 (15th in the entire league)... Jabari has a usage of 17.