The Nuggets have asked the NBA to grant them a disabled player exception for forward Vlatko Cancar, reports Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette.
Cancar tore his left ACL in August and is expected to miss the entire 2023-24 season. A disabled player exception gives an over-the-cap team some extra spending power when it loses a player to an injury deemed likely to sideline him through at least June 15.
As we explain in our glossary entry, the exception can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade. A DPE 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.
The disabled player exception is worth half the injured player’s salary, up to the amount of the mid-level exception. It doesn’t open up an extra spot on the 15-man roster, so the club must have a roster spot available to use the DPE to add a player.
Cancar’s salary this season is only $2,234,359, so if the Nuggets are granted a DPE, it would be worth just $1,117,180. An exception that small almost certainly won’t be used, but there are rare instances in which it might come in handy — for instance, Denver could use it during the final few weeks of the season to offer a free agent more than the prorated minimum salary.
So far in 2023-24, the Bulls, Grizzlies, and Trail Blazers have been granted disabled player exception, while the Knicks and Spurs have each reportedly applied for a DPE as well. This season’s deadline to use a DPE is March 11.
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