Bulls granted disabled player exception after Noa Essengue injury

The Bulls have been granted a disabled player exception following Noa Essengue’s season-ending shoulder injury.

According to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic, Chicago qualified for the exception after Essengue underwent surgery earlier this month and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. The No. 12 overall pick appeared in just two games, logging six total minutes before the injury.

A disabled player exception does not create an additional roster spot, but it does provide limited financial flexibility. The exception can be used to claim a player on waivers, acquire an expiring contract via trade, or sign a free agent to a one-year deal.

The value of the exception is set at either half of the injured player’s salary or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, whichever is smaller. In this case, Essengue’s cap hit of roughly $5.43 million means Chicago’s exception is worth about $2.7 million.

The Bulls have not used their mid-level or bi-annual exceptions this season and still have a portion of a trade exception available. As a result, the disabled player exception could go unused. However, it does give the front office another tool to work with as the trade deadline approaches.

Essengue is expected to be fully healthy by the start of the 2026-27 season, according to the team.