The Washington Wizards will soon waive swingman Martell Webster, who had season-ending hip surgery less than two weeks ago. This was initially reported by Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania, and it was confirmed by Webster on Twitter:
DC it's been real. I just want to say thank you to @TedLeonsis for giving me another chance in this league.To you fans I love you #wiznation
— Martell Webster (@MartellWebster) November 30, 2015
Webster, 28, has had a rough time with injuries over the past few seasons. He played in only 32 games last year and has had three back surgeries in four years. The Wizards will still have to pay him $5.6 million this year and $2.5 million next year, per USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt, unless he is claimed on waivers. A waiver claim would be extremely unlikely, given that he's out for the rest of the year.
If Webster makes a full recovery, he'll wind up on a team this summer. When healthy, he's a solid 3-point shooter and defender. The problem is that he hasn't been fully healthy in quite a while.
Washington will use the free roster spot on free agent center Ryan Hollins, according to Yahoo Sports. The team needed frontcourt depth, with Nene and Drew Gooden both out of the lineup.
