Report: 76ers want Kirilenko to report to team and play

Any thought that the Philadelphia 76ers would buy out Andrei Kirilenko may have been premature.

After acquiring the Russian veteran from the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 11, many expected the 76ers to save a few dollars by negotiating Kirilenko's release. The trade had been looked at as the Sixers taking on salary for a future second-round pick, but there's apparently more to it from their end.

The 76ers want Kirilenko to report to the team and play, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. To this point, Kirilenko and his representatives have refused, hoping the Sixers would waive him, thus allowing him to sign with a team of his choosing. Kirilenko has also been dealing with a family medical issue in New York, another reason he'd prefer not to head to Philly.

The goal from Philadelphia's perspective would be to showcase Kirilenko, rehabilitate his trade value after an awful start to the season in Brooklyn, and put him back on the trade market ahead of the deadline.

Most teams would be willing to play chicken with the 76ers and bet they'll ultimately buy him out if they can't move him by the deadline, according to Wojnarowski. That could severely limit the market for his services, though the 76ers would probably flip him for just a second-round pick, their preferred legal tender.