Report: 76ers asking for 2nd-round pick for Okafor, refusing buyout

The Philadelphia 76ers continue to lower their asking price for Jahlil Okafor instead of budging on a buyout.

After previously seeking two first-round picks, then one first-rounder and a solid player, the team will now settle for one second-rounder in exchange for the bench-dwelling big man, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Philadelphia has been trying to move Okafor for some time, but hasn't gotten an offer it likes due to both concerns about his durability following knee surgery and the haul it wanted in return. General manager Bryan Colangelo reportedly turned down proposals that would've cut into the team's cap space, which he was saving for Robert Covington's extension.

After finalizing that deal, the Sixers declined the fourth-year option on Okafor's contract, making him a free agent after this season. According to ESPN, more than half of the league's 30 teams expressed interested in Okafor, but would rather wait for him to hit the open market so they don't have to sacrifice any draft assets to pick him up.

That won't stop Colangelo from aggressively shopping the 2015 No. 3 pick, whose $5-million contract could be packaged in a bigger deal before February's trade deadline.

In the meantime, the 21-year-old center will remain stuck in a situation he says "really sucks."

Related: Brown won't play Okafor in garbage time 'out of respect' for him

Okafor's played a total of 25 minutes over two appearances so far this season - putting up 10 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks - and is itching to get some burn elsewhere.

"I would like for them to just send me somewhere where I can get an opportunity," Okafor said, according to Wojnarowski. "I've done everything they've asked of me and I would just like to get an opportunity to play with a trade or a buyout. I just hope something happens quickly.

"This is my third year in the NBA, and I know it's a business. I don't know if it's fair or not, but in talking to other people in the NBA, talking to retired players, one thing I've heard them say is that what's going on with me isn't right and they've never seen anything like this before.

"I know it's business, but in my eyes, I don't know if it's good business."