Wizards' Webster to undergo season-ending hip surgery

Martell Webster's 2015-16 campaign never got off the ground, and now it's likely over.

The Washington Wizards swingman has opted to undergo surgery on the partially torn labrum in his right hip, which will sideline him for four-to-six months - effectively the balance of the regular season.

"We tried everything else and I just wasn't getting the results that I wanted," Webster, who initially tried to play through the pain while receiving cortisone shots, told Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. "So I wanted to go out and get it taken care of rather than playing this season in some discomfort and then wait until the offseason to get it taken care of and then rehab the whole offseason and then try to find a rhythm come training camp. I'd rather take care of it now."

Webster has endured a spate of debilitating injuries over the course of his 10-year career, and needed three separate back surgeries between 2010 and 2014.

The 28-year-old had a promising start to his stint with the Wizards, enjoying arguably his two best professional seasons in 2012-13 and 2013-14. But amidst recurrent back issues that cut his season short after 32 games, Webster was a shell last season, averaging 3.3 points while shooting 26.3 percent from the field and 23.3 percent from 3-point range, where he owns a 38.2 percent career mark.

Though Webster has said he'll likely retire at the age of 30, he insists this latest setback isn't the straw that'll break his back.

"Hell no," he said. "I hope not. Doc said 85 percent chance (of returning). I'll take that."

As Castillo points out, Webster will forfeit more than $3 million in salary by undergoing surgery. Because of his lengthy injury history, the Wizards stipulated in his four-year, $22-million contract (which expires at the end of next season) that he had to play in 180 games over the first three seasons for the final year to be fully guaranteed. He's 70 games shy of that benchmark.