Practice had long since ended Thursday, and Charlotte Bobcats forward Emeka Okafor was still on the court, playing a competitive, rotating one-on-one competition with three teammates.

The first draft pick in franchise history was laughing and joking as sweat soaked through his jersey. There was little evidence that just hours earlier Okafor had turned down a contract offer from the Bobcats, meaning he'll become a restricted free agent on July 1.

"I definitely want to be here long-term, and the Bobcats want me to be here long-term," Okafor said after the workout. "It's just the way things go sometimes. Everyone is in a great mood. Everybody is cool."