November 26: The NBA has approved the Clippers’ request for a disabled player exception for Beal, Fischer reports (Twitter link).
November 21: The Clippers have applied for a disabled player exception in response to Bradley Beal‘s season-ending hip injury, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).
An NBA team becomes eligible for a disabled player exception when one of its players sustains an injury that is considered more likely than not to sideline him through June 15 of that league year. That’s expected to be the case for Beal, who was diagnosed last week with a fracture in his hip.
A disabled player exception doesn’t grant the team an extra roster spot, but it generates some additional cap flexibility. The exception can be used to acquire a player on an expiring contract via trade or waiver claim, or to sign a free agent to a one-year deal.
The value of the disabled player exception is equivalent to either the non-taxpayer mid-level exception or half of the injured player’s salary, whichever is lesser. Since Beal’s cap hit is $5,354,000, well below the mid-level, the DPE would be worth $2,677,000.
The Clippers have used their full mid-level exception and don’t have their bi-annual exception available this season since they used it in 2024/25. That means a disabled player exception actually could come in handy for L.A., perhaps accommodating a free agent signing above the veteran’s minimum or a trade for a player on a near-minimum contract.
The problem for the Clippers is that they’re currently operating just $1.28MM away from their first-apron hard cap. A team can’t exceed its hard cap for any reason, so if the NBA awards them a DPE for Beal, the Clippers wouldn’t be able to use more than $1.28MM of it unless they shed salary elsewhere on the roster.
March 10 is the deadline to use a disabled player exception.
A clipper gets another no-show deal? I’m not shocked
10.0 first comment, no notes, lol
The Clippers will likely use the exception to bring back Amir Coffey who is rotting on the Bucks bench. Amir’s minimum contract would fit in the exception.
Steve should sponsor more deals with Aspiration.. we could start a GoFundMe for him. Hopefully, he manages through this devastating loss.
Powell is healthy though!
Malik Beasley
lol Bradley Beal. Such a washed up player.
Like Klay, his post-injury career has been incredibly mid. Beal was a bad man right til the end of a 20-21 season though. Been a 14th or 15th backup PG type ever since, but got starter minutes and also kept getting injured. Made of glass and old…I’m not sure he ever gets another deal in this league. Bro is cooked.
At least, Balmers’ taxes can write off players as depreciating assets. He’ll get full credit from Uncle Sam—financial engineering is awesome.
“When you are rich, you pay for nothing” yeah, you make us taxpayers for it. Cool. Thanks bro. Love not expanding our infrastructure for no damn reason for the last 25 years. No, no, keep defunding our education and turning it into capitalism branding type stuff. Really super cool stuff honestly.
Brook Lopez <> Buddy Hield
They should apply for social security with the age of their roster.
time for ben simmons part deux
Another problemo for Honest Steve’s team.
Seth Curry en route…sorry Dubs fans, Seth is a waste of a roster space that could be filled with someone who rebounds.
I wish the league would change the word disabled. I find it very personally insulting as the father of a disabled child. He has a boo-boo in his hip. He’s not disabled. It’s an insult to every person out there that lives with disabilities.
To your point, in other sports its been changed to “injured” – not sure why this instance hasn’t been changed yet. Weird thing for so many to sleep on, honestly.
Also, a court of law found Pedro Guerrero of the Dodgers to have an IQ of 70, so, disabled people are allowed in the league and get to play like everyone else. It should be “injured player exemption”.
Is there any chance they could apply for a disabled franchise designation?
Clippers best option is to trade Brook Lopez ……
DeM DeR is the guy they should get. He will definitely get them in playoffs.