The Philadelphia 76ers have waived former Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee, the .
McGee was waived before midnight on March 1, leaving him eligible to join another postseason roster.
Philadelphia acquired McGee and a protected 2015 first-round pick from the Nuggets in , which created an $11.25 million trade exception for a Denver team in need of rebuilding.
McGee is in the second-to-last year of his four-year, $44 million contract but has spent much of the last two seasons recovering from injuries.
Early Monday, USA Today reported that McGee for next season or the remaining $11.25 million for this season. He will become a free agent once he clears waivers this week.
News of the buyout contradicted what McGee had told reporters shortly after the trade from Denver.
“I don’t want to get bought out,” McGee had told local media. “That’s not a positive thing. When you think about it, you don’t get all of your money when you get bought out.
“So it doesn’t make sense why someone would want to get bought out unless they are older — older and they want to go to a contender or something. I’m not that old. I just want to play basketball.”
