How They Were Signed: Bi-Annual Exception

Over the next several weeks Hoops Rumors will examine how all the players on each NBA roster were signed. We will look at whether space under the salary cap or one of the various cap exceptions listed below were used to sign each player.

The NBA utilizes a soft salary cap which allows teams without cap space the ability to go over that season’s cap using one of the following salary cap exceptions.

First up in our overview of each player’s contracts: The bi-annual exception. As the name describes, the bi-annual exception is available to teams every other year and is typically used to sign players worth more than the minimum salary but less than the mid-level exception.

The bi-annual exception allows a team to sign a player to a max of two seasons for a salary amount determined by the league each year. For 2013/14 the maximum amount allowed for the bi-annual exception is $2.016MM. Additionally, teams can give a player who is signing a bi-annual exception contract up to a 4.5% raise for the second season of that contract.

The bi-annual exception is very restrictive in its uses and results. Only teams above the salary cap but below the tax apron ($4MM over the tax threshold) are allowed to use the bi-annual exception. After using this exception, these teams are limited to a hard cap for that season, disallowing them from exceeding the tax apron at any time during the year.

Below is a team-by-team list of which players on current NBA rosters were signed under the bi-annual exception.

  • Atlanta Hawks 
    • None
  • Boston Celtics 
    • None
  • Brooklyn Nets
    • None
  • Charlotte Bobcats
    • None
  • Chicago Bulls
    • None
  • Cleveland Cavaliers 
    • None
  • Dallas Mavericks
    • None
  • Denver Nuggets 
  • Detroit Pistons
    • None
  • Golden State
  • Houston Rockets
    • None
  • Indiana Pacers
  • Los Angeles Clippers
    • None
  • Los Angeles Lakers
    • None
  • Memphis Grizzlies
    • None
  • Miami Heat
    • None
  • Milwaukee Bucks
    • None
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New Orleans Pelicans
    • None
  • New York Knicks
    • None
  • Oklahoma City Thunder
    • None
  • Orlando Magic
    • None
  • Philadelphia 76ers
    • None
  • Phoenix Suns
    • None
  • Portland Trailblazers
    • None
  • Sacramento Kings
    • None
  • San Antonio Spurs
  • Toronto Raptors
    • None
  • Utah Jazz
    • None
  • Washington Wizards

StorytellersContracts and ShamSports were used in the creation of this post.

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