January 15 was the final day for NBA teams to apply for a disabled player exception for the 2018/19 season, and before that deadline passed, the Grizzlies submitted a request for a DPE, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Athletic.
If a player is seriously injured, his team can request a disabled player exception to replace him. In order for the exception to be granted, an NBA-designated physician must determine that the player is “substantially more likely than not” to be sidelined through at least June 15. In the Grizzlies’ case, it’s Dillon Brooks who is expected to be out until the summer.
[RELATED: Dillon Brooks to miss rest of season]
If granted, the disabled player exception allows a club to add a replacement player for 50% of the injured player’s salary, or for the amount of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception, whichever is lesser. Brooks’ salary is $1,378,242, so assuming Memphis receives a DPE for him, it will be worth a very modest $689,121.
A disabled player exception can be used to sign a free agent, claim a player off waivers, or acquire a player in a trade. Because it’s designed to replace an injured player for a single season, a DPE can only be used to sign or acquire a player on a rest-of-season contract. The deadline to use it is March 11.
Disabled player exceptions generally go unused, and that will likely be the case for Memphis too, especially given the team’s proximity to the luxury tax line. Still, it doesn’t hurt to apply for the exception, as the club has an open spot on its 15-man roster.
The Grizzlies don’t have their mid-level exception or bi-annual exception available, so even a small disabled player exception could come in handy — the minimum salary exception is declining in value every day due to proration, meaning $689K may actually be worth more than the minimum, depending on when it’s offered and how many years of experience the player has.
Memphis is the third team to apply for a disabled player exception this month, joining the Wizards (John Wall) and Mavericks (J.J. Barea).