The Heat have been granted a disabled player exception as a result of Meyers Leonard‘s season-ending shoulder injury, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
A salary cap exception designed to give teams extra flexibility when a player suffers a major injury, the disabled player exception can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade. The exception can only be used on a single player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. A free agent signee can’t get a multiyear contract, and any trade or waiver target must be in the final year of his contract.
Miami’s new DPE has a value of $4.7MM – half of Leonard’s $9.4MM salary for 2020/21 – so any player signed or acquired with the exception can’t be earning more than that amount (plus $100K). The deadline to use it is April 19.
[RELATED: 2020/21 NBA Disabled Player Exceptions]
The Heat used their full mid-level exception during the offseason to sign Avery Bradley and Maurice Harkless, but still have their $3.6MM bi-annual exception, along with a $7.5MM trade exception that expires on March 22, so they have a few options available if they want to target a player in free agency or on the trade market.
Miami does, however, currently have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, and none of those exceptions – including the DPE – allow the team to add an extra player to its 15-man roster. So in order to use any of their exceptions, the Heat will have to trade or release one of their current players.
Booogie to South Beach
Could be, would not be the craziest move, even at this point he is better than Leonard.
4.7 to spend at TD can only help. Let’s see who gets bought out.
Lol how are they granted an exception when they have Haslem taking up a roster spot not even playing. Mad sus