The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to waive JaVale McGee, according to Sam Amick of USA Today Sports. The Sixers waived him just before the 12 am deadline, allowing McGee to join a contending team.
Players waived by March 1 can still sign with playoff bound teams and can remain on their roster through the postseason.
On Sunday afternoon, ESPN’s Marc Stein was reporting that the Sixers were discussing a buyout with the 27-year-old center, but McGee did not agree to give back any of his salary, forcing Philadelphia to go ahead and just waive him.
McGee was traded to the 76ers before the trade deadline as he played five games for Philly, averaging 3.0 points and 2.4 rebounds.
As a free agent, McGee is expected to draw interest from a great deal of playoff contenders, including the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Clippers.
The Shaqtin-A-Fool star can provide any of those teams much needed length, shot blocking, and rebounding.
JaVale McGee has had stints with the Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets in the past, in which he had great runs with each team until being dismantled by injuries. However, his size would still be beneficial for either of the aforementioned playoff teams.