Author: Luke Adams

In addition to receiving approximately $109MM 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 $4,767,000.
• Taxpayer mid-level exception: Can be used for contracts up to three years, with a starting salary worth up to $5,718,000.
• Full/non-taxpayer mid-level exception: Can be used for contracts up to four years, with a starting salary worth up to $9,258,000.
  • 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 ($132.63MM) at season’s end; it simply means the team’s total salary can’t surpass the tax “apron” ($138.93MM).

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 2020/21 league year.

Note: As of February 27, the value of the exceptions below began to prorate downward by 1/146th per day.

Here’s where things currently stand:

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Mid-Level Exception:

Non-taxpayer: $9,258,000
Taxpayer: $5,718,000

Boston Celtics

• Used: $9,258,000 (Tristan Thompson)

Brooklyn Nets

• Used: $399,591 (Alize Johnson)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Chicago Bulls

• Used: $4,767,000 (Garrett Temple)

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Used: $2,000,000 (Damyean Dotson); $652,366 (Lamar Stevens); $158,433 (Mfiondu Kabengele)

Dallas Mavericks

• Used: $4,100,000 (Willie Cauley-Stein); $3,000,000 (Trey Burke); $1,289,846 (Tyrell Terry)

Denver Nuggets

• Used: $7,199,760 (JaMychal Green); $2,058,240 (Bol Bol)

Golden State Warriors

• Used: $2,250,000 (Brad Wanamaker)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Houston Rockets

• Used: $1,445,697 (Jae’Sean Tate); $898,310 (KJ Martin); $250,000 (Khyri Thomas)

Indiana Pacers

• Used: $757,453 (Oshae Brissett)
  

Los Angeles Clippers

• Used: $9,258,000 (Serge Ibaka)

Los Angeles Lakers

• Used: $9,258,000 (Montrezl Harrell)

Memphis Grizzlies

• Used: $2,100,000 (John Konchar); $1,900,000 (Jontay Porter); $1,300,000 (Xavier Tillman)

Miami Heat

• Used: $5,635,000 (Avery Bradley); $3,623,000 (Maurice Harkless)

Milwaukee Bucks

• Used: $6,666,667 (D.J. Augustin); $2,337,145 (Bryn Forbes); $160,173 (Mamadi Diakite)

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Used: $0

New Orleans Pelicans

• Used: $120,000 (Naji Marshall)
  

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Used: $2,000,000 (Theo Maledon); $1,250,000 (Moses Brown); $3,870,370 (Gabriel Deck)

Orlando Magic

• Used: $3,300,000 (James Ennis); $2,000,000 (Gary Clark)

Philadelphia 76ers

• Used: $898,310 (Isaiah Joe), $609,128 (Paul Reed)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Phoenix Suns

• Used: $9,258,000 (Jae Crowder)

Portland Trail Blazers

• Used: $9,258,000 (Derrick Jones)

Sacramento Kings

• Used: $1,620,564 (Chimezie Metu); $1,500,000 (Robert Woodard); $1,000,000 (Jahmi’us Ramsey); $700,000 (Chimezie Metu)

San Antonio Spurs

• Used: $898,310 (Tre Jones)

Toronto Raptors

• Used: $7,000,000 (Aron Baynes); $2,258,000 (Alex Len)

Utah Jazz

• Used: $9,258,000 (Derrick Favors)

Washington Wizards

• Used: $7,300,000 (Robin Lopez); $20,000 (Caleb Homesley)

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Room Exception:

Available: $4,767,000

Atlanta Hawks

• Used: $4,767,000 (Kris Dunn)

Charlotte Hornets

• Used: $0

Detroit Pistons

• Used: $4,767,000 (Josh Jackson)

New York Knicks

• Used: $0

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

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Decisions on rookie scale options for the 2021/22 season were due on Tuesday — any team that wanted to exercise a third- or fourth-year option on a player for next season was required to do so by last night.

As is typically the case, a huge majority of those options were picked up. Even for top picks, who are paid higher salaries due to the NBA’s rookie scale, those third- and fourth-year options are relatively team-friendly. So unless a player has fallen well short of his team’s expectations, it generally makes sense to lock in his salary for the following season at this point.

However, not every player with a 2021/22 team option had it exercised by Tuesday’s deadline. The players who had those options declined will now be on track to reach unrestricted free agency during the summer of 2021, assuming they’re not waived before then. At the end of the season, their teams won’t be able to offer them starting salaries that exceed the value of their declined options.

Listed below are the players who had their options turned down, followed by the players whose options were exercised. If a player had his option picked up, his ’21/22 salary is now guaranteed and he won’t be eligible for free agency until at least 2022.

Declined options:

Note: These players will become unrestricted free agents in 2021.

• Jerome Robinson, Wizards (fourth year, $5,340,916)
• Moritz Wagner, Wizards (fourth year, $3,893,618)
• Omari Spellman, Knicks (fourth year, $3,588,845)
• Mfiondu Kabengele, Clippers (third year, $2,174,880)

In addition to these four players who remain under contract for the 2020/21 season, three players who had rookie scale team options on their contracts for ’21/22 were waived during the offseason. Those players were Zhaire Smith (cut by Pistons), Dzanan Musa (Pistons), and Jacob Evans (Knicks). Their options were automatically voided once they cleared waivers.

Exercised options:

Fourth year:

Note: These players will become eligible for rookie scale extensions on August 2, 2021. If they’re not extended, they’ll be on track for restricted free agency in 2022.

• Deandre Ayton, Suns ($12,632,950)
• Marvin Bagley III, Kings ($11,312,114)
• Luka Doncic, Mavericks ($10,174,391)
• Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies ($9,180,560)
• Trae Young, Hawks ($8,326,471)
• Mohamed Bamba, Magic ($7,568,743)
• Wendell Carter Jr., Bulls ($6,920,027)
• Collin Sexton, Cavaliers ($6,349,671)
• Kevin Knox, Knicks ($5,845,978)
• Mikal Bridges, Suns ($5,557,725)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder ($5,495,532)
• Miles Bridges, Hornets ($5,421,493)
• Michael Porter Jr., Nuggets ($5,258,735)
• Troy Brown, Wizards ($5,170,564)
• Donte DiVincenzo, Bucks ($4,675,830)
• Lonnie Walker, Spurs ($4,447,896)
• Kevin Huerter, Hawks ($4,253,357)
• Josh Okogie, Timberwolves ($4,087,904)
• Grayson Allen, Grizzlies ($4,054,695)
• Chandler Hutchison, Bulls ($4,019,459)
• Aaron Holiday, Pacers ($3,980,551)
• Anfernee Simons, Trail Blazers ($3,938,818)
• Landry Shamet, Nets ($3,768,342)
• Robert Williams, Celtics ($3,661,976)

Third year:

Note: Teams will have to make fourth-year option decisions for 2022/23 on these players next year (exact deadline TBD).

• Zion Williamson, Pelicans ($10,733,400)
• Ja Morant, Grizzlies ($9,603,360)
• RJ Barrett, Knicks ($8,623,920)
• De’Andre Hunter, Hawks ($7,775,400)
• Darius Garland, Cavaliers ($7,040,880)
• Jarrett Culver, Timberwolves ($6,395,160)
• Coby White, Bulls ($5,837,760)
• Jaxson Hayes, Pelicans ($5,348,280)
• Rui Hachimura, Wizards ($4,916,160)
• Cam Reddish, Hawks ($4,670,160)
• Cameron Johnson, Suns ($4,437,000)
• P.J. Washington, Hornets ($4,215,120)
• Tyler Herro, Heat ($4,004,280)
• Romeo Langford, Celtics ($3,804,360)
• Sekou Doumbouya, Pistons ($3,613,680)
• Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Pelicans ($3,261,480)
• Goga Bitadze, Pacers ($3,098,400)
• Luka Samanic, Spurs ($2,959,080)
• Matisse Thybulle, Sixers ($2,840,160)
• Brandon Clarke, Grizzlies ($2,726,880)
• Grant Williams, Celtics ($2,617,800)
• Darius Bazley, Thunder ($2,513,040)
• Ty Jerome, Thunder ($2,412,840)
• Nassir Little, Trail Blazers ($2,316,240)
• Dylan Windler, Cavaliers ($2,239,200)
• Jordan Poole, Warriors ($2,161,440)
• Keldon Johnson, Spurs ($2,145,720)
• Kevin Porter Jr., Cavaliers ($1,782,621)

For a team-by-team breakdown of this year’s rookie scale option decisions for the 2021/22 season, along with full stories on each decision, you can check out our tracker.

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