The Wizards are waiving Daniel Ochefu, per report

The hits just keep coming for the Wizards. In a surprise move, the Wizards are waiving Daniel Ochefu, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Ochefu wasn’t a major player for the Wizards and wasn’t set to be a fixture in the rotation, but he was a body they liked having around on the roster and a solid locker room presence.

But with the Sheldon Mac injury, the Wizards needed another roster spot to become available. The team is going to need another body to be ready to step in for the regular season and Ochefu wasn’t going to play a major role for them.

Ochefu only had a $50,000 guarantee with Washington that they’ll owe him once he’s released. They could have parted ways with Mac after his injury, but they’d owe him $1.3 million in salary and would’ve had to pay an additional $2.5 million in luxury taxes.

The Wizards are still on the hook for Mac’s entire salary because he signed a partially guaranteed contract last year. They weren’t able to designate his deal as a training camp contract, which meant that once he was declared out for the season they were responsible for the rest of his salary plus the luxury taxes coming with it.

Now, they’ll be able to keep Mac on the roster, apply for a disabled player exception and sign another younger player to the roster at a low cost. Carrick Felix, a camp signee for the Wizards, fits perfectly into that mold and has performed well for the Wizards this preseason.

This is a tough decision to make for the locker room, but it’s probably the most fiscally responsible move for the team. Whether Ochefu is able to stick around with the Wizards’ G-League affiliate remains to be seen.

One thing is for sure, though. This won’t be Washington’s last move in the fallout of the Mac injury.