Philadelphia 76ers NBA Trade and Roster Rumors: Sixers Have Lowered Their Asking Price for Jahlil Okafor
The Philadelphia 76ers' asking price for Jahlil Okafor has continued to drop in the past couple of seasons, but his trade value seems to have plummeted dramatically after he publicly admitted that he wants the team to trade him or buy out his contract last month.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers are now willing to part ways with Okafor for a second-round draft pick.
That's a far cry from the two first-round picks they could have fetched if they traded Okafor to the Boston Celtics in 2015. Now teams don't even want to give up a second-round pick for the former third overall pick.
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Of course, the Sixers didn't help themselves by declining his fourth-year option. Why would teams give up an asset to acquire Okafor right now if they could just sign him when he becomes an unrestricted free agency next summer?
The Sixers can always buy out Okafor's contract as a goodwill gesture, but general manager Bryan Colangelo isn't giving up yet because he doesn't want to let the center leave for nothing.
Still, they will have to consider releasing him if they can't move him before the trade deadline in February.
Meanwhile, Okafor and his agent, Bill Duffy, has continued to push the Sixers to buy out his contract.
"I'm hopeful that Bryan will do what has always brought him and the players in his organization success and be flexible as Jahlil has handled himself the right way," Duffy said, via ESPN.
"There's been a focus on trading Jah for the past nine months, but nothing has come to fruition. At this point, it's time to exercise that flexibility because I don't think anything in the marketplace is going to change. His contract is still going to expire in June, and teams are still going to hold onto their assets," he added.
Okafor is clearly not happy with the way the Sixers are handling the situation, but for now, he will have to be patient.
