The Washington Wizards have officially waived forward Andray Blatche, effectively ending his tumultous seven-year tenure with the franchise.
"Andray did not figure into our future plans, and using the amnesty provision is a mutually beneficial opportunity for us to part ways," team president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement. "We will be able to continue to develop our core group of young players, blend in the solid veterans we have acquired and maintain financial flexibility while Andray will be able to get a fresh start with another team. We wish him the best moving forward."
As Grunfeld mentioned in the release, the Wizards elected to use their amnesty clause on Blatche, which simply means that they will pay him the $23 million remaining on his contract to go away. Washington had until 5 p.m. today to make the decision, which is the sixth leaguewide this month, and Blatche's salary will now be removed from the team's salary cap.
Blatche averaged 9.9 points per game during his 409 games with the Wizards, who thought he would become a focal point of the franchise after trading away players like Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. Yet, Blatche (or Baltche) did not come close, even being sent home during the final month of last season to work on his conditioning following a stint on the injured list (a local gym even reached out and offered their services in helping him do so, creating a personalized workout).
The Wizards selected Blatche with the 49th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.
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