The Orlando Magic have applied to have Timofey Mozgov's remaining cap hit removed from their books, citing a career-ending injury for the veteran center, league sources told The New York Times' Marc Stein.
Orlando is currently set to carry a $5.6-million cap hit for the 33-year-old in each of the next three seasons, representing the $16.7 million owed to him after the team used the stretch provision to waive the final year of his contract in June.
The Los Angeles Lakers originally signed Mozgov to a lavish four-year, $64-million contract in the summer of 2016, an offseason that saw liberal spending around the NBA due to rapidly increasing revenues and ample cap space.
After bouncing around the league through the first half of the deal, the Russian big man landed in Orlando last summer, spending the 2018-19 campaign on the team's roster without actually appearing in a game.
He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery this past January.
Potentially complicating the Magic's assertion that Mozgov can no longer play is the fact he's intent on continuing his basketball career, signing with Khimki Moscow this summer. Though he's yet to appear in a game for the Russian side, he was optimistic in July about his ability to contribute on the floor.
