The Philadelphia 76ers made it clear after they opted not to pick up Jahlil Okafor’s fourth-year option that they didn’t see him as being a part of their future. And now, Okafor has made it clear he no longer wants to be part of the franchise's present by wanting a buyout.
Jahlil Okafor said he would like a buyout or a trade from the Sixers.
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) November 1, 2017
"Honestly, I didn’t want them to pick up my option. I’ve been going through a lot since I’ve been here." – Jahlil Okafor
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) November 1, 2017
Okafor has had a tumultuous first two seasons with the Sixers. He had a strong rookie season after being drafted No. 3 overall by Philadelphia in the 2015 draft. However, he saw a significant decrease in playing time last season, in part due to the emergence of Joel Embiid, and it's gone downhill for him from there.
Okafor has appeared in just one of the Sixers’ first seven games this season and doesn’t look as if he’ll get to see that much more playing time moving forward.
The Sixers have seemingly been close to dealing Okafor away on multiple occasions over the last few years, but have been unable to pull the trigger on any as the big man’s value has continued to sink lower and lower.
Since his fourth-year option was declined, Okafor can hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent next year. However, with likely no playing time available this season to help improve his value, he likely feels he’d be much better served to part ways with Philadelphia as soon as possible.
The Sixers might not be quite as inclined to agree to a speedy separation via buyout, though. According to the Philadephia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, Okafor claims general manager Bryan Colangelo isn't a fan of a buyout, which he feels would just be giving the big man away to another team for free.
So unless Colangelo has a change of heart on that subject, the Okafor saga in Philadelphia may go on for a while longer.
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