Jabari Parker
Jabari Parker may end up being a Los Angeles Laker soon. Pictured: Jabari Parker #2 of the Chicago Bulls wipes the sweat off during a timeout in the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 29, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Getty Images/Sarah Stier

Jabari Parker would have been $20 million richer for the coming season had the Washington Wizards taken the team option of his deal. But as most had predicted, the Wizards declined, dragging down the 24-year-old's monetary dreams to reality. However, this doesn't mean that all is over between the two sides. Washington is interested in keeping the second overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft but at a sane cost.

The Wizards acquired Parker along with Bobby Portis back in February in exchange for Otto Porter. But the thing that really struck out most was the salary of Parker. He was given a two-year deal worth $40 million, numbers which left basketball pundits befuddled, Yahoo Sports reported. And while the 6-foot-8 forward made a good account of himself for the 2018-19 NBA season, most had questioned if he was worth all that money. Apparently, the Wizards believe no.

Also worth factoring in is the drafting of Rui Hachimura. The former Gonzaga Bulldog is the first Japanese player to be taken in the first-round and apparently, the Wizards expect to get mileage out of him next NBA season. For Parker, it also means that Washington has another young guy to bank on up front.

There is no question that Parker holds an edge over Hachimura and other forwards on the Wizards' end. But as NBC Sports pointed out, the real question here is how much the Duke University standout is worth. Even at $15 million, critics believe the number would still be too much and that he still needs to prove he is worthy of getting such a contract.

NBA free agency is also just around the corner and Parker could try and test the market for other teams. As far as getting numbers close to what he got last season, the consensus is that most teams would prefer to save their money or spend it on multiple players instead. There are teams in need of someone like Parker like the Utah Jazz or even the Boston Celtics at the forward position, . However, the fact of it all is that none of the two (or other teams for that matter) would be crazy enough to shell out such a big sum at least for the coming season. The best Parker can do is prove critics wrong and then dream of a lucrative (possibly max deal) in 2020.

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