As NBA teams consider their trade options before the February 6 deadline, it’s worth keeping in mind that a number of clubs hold traded player exceptions. These traded player exceptions allow over-the-cap clubs to acquire a player – or multiple players – whose salary fits within the TPE without having to send out any salary in return.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Traded Player Exception]
Traded player exceptions can’t be combined with another salary or exception and often aren’t worth much, so most of them ultimately go unused. Still, they can come in handy every now and then, particularly for under-the-tax clubs that don’t mind adding a little more money to their books.
Last season, a total of 23 trades were completed between January 22 and February 7, resulting in 23 trade exceptions that haven’t yet been used or renounced and will expire if they’re not used by this year’s trade deadline.
Here are those traded player exceptions, listed in order of value, with the expiration date noted in parentheses for each TPE:
- Dallas Mavericks: $11,825,694 (2/7)
- Miami Heat: $6,270,000 (2/7)
- Houston Rockets: $3,620,016 (2/7)
- Houston Rockets: $3,206,160 (2/7)
- Toronto Raptors: $2,536,898 (2/7)
- Detroit Pistons: $2,500,000 (2/6)
- Portland Trail Blazers: $1,740,000 (2/7)
- Houston Rockets: $1,621,415 (2/7)
- Toronto Raptors: $1,569,360 (2/6)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $1,544,951 (2/7)
- Houston Rockets: $1,544,951 (2/7)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $1,544,951 (2/3)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $1,512,601 (2/7)
- Houston Rockets: $1,512,601 (1/22)
- Houston Rockets: $1,512,601 (2/7)
- Memphis Grizzlies: $1,512,601 (2/7)
- Toronto Raptors: $1,512,601 (2/7)
- Dallas Mavericks: $1,233,152 (1/31)
- Detroit Pistons: $1,140,682 (2/7)
- Washington Wizards: $311,913 (2/6)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $266,728 (2/4)
- Memphis Grizzlies: $184,467 (2/7)
- Washington Wizards: $183,148 (2/7)
For the full list of traded player exceptions currently available, including a Warriors TPE worth $17MM that probably can’t be used until July, click here.