The Washington Wizards have obtained a disabled player exception (DPE) following confirmation that rookie forward Cam Whitmore will sit out the remainder of the season with a blood clot in his right shoulder, according to reports from Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer and The Stein Line.
The NBA grants a DPE when a medical review determines that an injured player is unlikely to return before June 15 of the current league year. The mechanism does not create an extra roster slot, but it gives the club additional salary-cap flexibility to add a replacement on a one-year contract, trade for a player on an expiring deal, or claim a player off waivers.
Because Whitmore’s cap hit is $3,539,760—well below the league’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception—the Wizards’ DPE is valued at exactly half of his salary: $1,769,880.
The exception expires on March 10. Team officials face long odds of actually using it, as the amount is too small to facilitate most trades and the franchise already controls larger exceptions, including the full non-taxpayer mid-level and several trade exceptions. Nonetheless, the DPE remains available should a suitable opportunity emerge.
Washington joins the Bulls, Mavericks, Rockets, Pacers, Clippers, and Thunder as clubs that have been awarded a DPE this season. The Bucks filed a request last month, and the Hawks could pursue one after center N’Faly Dante’s season-ending injury, though updates on those cases have not surfaced.
Source: Hoops Rumors
