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Jahlil Okafor is fed up with the way the Philadelphia 76ers have treated him, but the front office isn't letting that persuade them into changing course.

Okafor, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, has played in just two games this season despite being healthy. He believes his career is being wasted on the bench, and that the Sixers are treating him unfairly by not agreeing to a buyout or trading him.

"This is my third year in the NBA, and I know it's a business," Okafor told ESPN. "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."

According ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers' asking price for Okafor has dropped from two first-round picks all the way down to a single second-rounder, yet the team still has been unable to find a deal. Wojnarowski also reports that more than half of the NBA teams would be willing to take on Okafor as a long-term project, but prefer to wait until free agency rather than giving up an asset to get him.

A major deterrent comes from the Sixers declining Okafor's $6.2 million fourth-year option. Now if he is traded and performs well for his new team, the rules dictate that his new team can't offer him more than $6.2 million to re-sign him. That would allow another team to swoop in and pay him more, making the acquisition of Okafor a risky proposition.

This has led Okafor and his agent, Bill Duffy, to plead with the Sixers for a buyout, which would allow Okafor to become a free agent and move on from the ugly Philly situation.

"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 told 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.

"We are simply requesting the organization be willing to proceed reasonably and allow Jah to get on with his career," Duffy said. "The Sixers are positioned well for the present and the future, and we only want the same for Jahlil."

So far the Sixers have been unwilling to engage in buyout talks, according to Wojnarowski, and prefer to hold onto Okafor with the hope that he could be part of a larger package as the Feb. 9 trade deadline nears.

What the Sixers are doing with Okafor is perfectly within their rights, but Colangelo also has to weigh how this affects potential future free agents, particularly Duffy's clients. With the notable asterisk of good health, the Sixers look like they could be a legitimate title contender in a few years, so the last thing they want to do is alienate future free agent pieces because of the way they're handling the Okafor situation.