How Teams Are Using 2021/22 Mid-Level Exceptions

In addition to receiving approximately $112.4MM in cap room and being allowed to surpass that threshold in order to sign players using Bird Rights or the minimum salary exception, each NBA team also receives a mid-level exception. The value of this exception varies depending on a club’s total team salary.

A team that goes under the cap to use its available cap room, for instance, receives only a modest form of the MLE known as the room exception. An over-the-cap team receives the full mid-level exception, unless that team is also over the tax apron, in which case it gets a taxpayer version of the MLE that falls in between the full MLE and the room exception. We detailed the exact values of each form of mid-level exception earlier this offseason, but here’s a quick breakdown:

• Room exception: Can be used for contracts up to two years, with a starting salary worth up to $4,910,000.
• Taxpayer mid-level exception: Can be used for contracts up to three years, with a starting salary worth up to $5,890,000.
• Full/non-taxpayer mid-level exception: Can be used for contracts up to four years, with a starting salary worth up to $9,536,000.
  • Note: Though its name suggests otherwise, using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception doesn’t mean a team can’t or won’t be above the tax line ($136,606,000) at season’s end; it simply means the team’s total salary can’t surpass the tax “apron” ($143,002,000).

Now that nearly all of the NBA’s teams have used up their cap space, it’s worth keeping an eye on which teams still have part or all of their mid-level exceptions available, which we’ll do in the space below. This list will be kept up to date throughout the 2021/22 league year.

Note: As of January 10, the value of the exceptions below began to prorate downward by 1/174th per day, based on the amount of the exception on Jan. 10. For instance, if a team had $1MM of its exception left on Jan. 10, it declines in value by $5,747 per day for the rest of the season.

Here’s where things currently stand:

---

Mid-Level Exception:

Non-taxpayer: $9,536,000
Taxpayer: $5,890,000

Atlanta Hawks

• Used: $4,000,000 (Gorgui Dieng)

Boston Celtics

• Used: $5,890,000 (Dennis Schröder)
  

Brooklyn Nets

• Used: $5,890,000 (Patty Mills)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Chicago Bulls

• Used: $8,600,000 (Alex Caruso); $925,258 (Marko Simonovic)

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Used: $1,669,178 (Kevin Pangos)

Dallas Mavericks

• Used: $9,536,000 (Reggie Bullock)
  

Denver Nuggets

• Used: $4,500,000 (Jeff Green)

Golden State Warriors

• Used: $0
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Houston Rockets

• Used: $1,489,065 (Armoni Brooks); $2,000,000 (Garrison Mathews); $612,000 (Daishen Nix)

Indiana Pacers

• Used: $4,878,049 (Torrey Craig); $950,000 (Duane Washington); $600,000 (Terry Taylor)

Los Angeles Clippers

• Used: $3,902,439 (Justise Winslow); $1,062,303 (Jason Preston); $925,258 (Brandon Boston)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Los Angeles Lakers

• Used: $5,000,000 (Kendrick Nunn)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Miami Heat

• Used: $7,000,000 (P.J. Tucker); $290,967 (Haywood Highsmith)

Milwaukee Bucks

• Used: $4,000,000 (George Hill); $925,258 (Georgios Kalaitzakis); $28,799 (Rayjon Tucker)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Used: $0

New Orleans Pelicans

• Used: $1,700,000 (Herb Jones); $1,500,000 (Jose Alvarado)
  

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Used: $3,500,000 (Mike Muscala); $2,000,000 (Jeremiah Robinson-Earl); $925,258 (Vit Krejci)

Orlando Magic

• Used: $5,000,000 (Robin Lopez); $100,000 (Devin Cannady)

Philadelphia 76ers

• Used: $3,300,000 (Georges Niang); $925,258 (Charles Bassey)
• Note: The Sixers could technically use more than taxpayer portion of mid-level exception, but are in the tax and likely won’t.

Phoenix Suns

• Used: $5,000,000 (JaVale McGee)

Portland Trail Blazers

• Used: $925,258 (Greg Brown); $436,482 (Trendon Watford)

Sacramento Kings

• Used: $3,732,000 (Alex Len)

Toronto Raptors

• Used: $6,350,000 (Khem Birch); $250,000 (Armoni Brooks)

Utah Jazz

• Used: $5,890,000 (Rudy Gay)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Washington Wizards

• Used: $1,500,000 (Isaiah Todd)

---

Room Exception:

Available: $4,910,000

Charlotte Hornets

• Used: $4,500,000 (Ish Smith)

Detroit Pistons

• Used: $4,910,000 (Cory Joseph)

Memphis Grizzlies

• Used: $1,901,625 (Killian Tillie)

New York Knicks

• Used: $4,910,000 (Taj Gibson)

San Antonio Spurs

• Used: $4,500,000 (Bryn Forbes)

---

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.