Clippers Seek Disabled Player Exception After Bradley Beal’s Hip Injury
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The Los Angeles Clippers have filed for a Disabled Player Exception (DPE) following Bradley Beal’s season-ending hip fracture, according to reports by Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Bleacher Report.
The request, submitted on November 21, meets NBA guidelines that allow a team to seek a DPE when a player is deemed more likely than not to remain sidelined through June 15 of the current league year. Beal was diagnosed last week with a fractured hip and is not expected to return this season.
A DPE does not add an extra roster spot, but it gives the club additional salary-cap flexibility. The exception can be used to:
- Trade for or claim a player on an expiring contract,
- Sign a free agent to a one-year deal.
The amount is the lesser of half the injured player’s salary or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Because Beal’s cap hit is $5,354,000, the Clippers would receive $2,677,000.
Los Angeles has already committed its full mid-level exception and cannot use the bi-annual exception after deploying it last season. The DPE could therefore be useful for adding a player above the veteran minimum. However, the club sits just $1.28 million below the first-apron hard cap, limiting immediate spending power. The team would need to shed salary to use more than $1.28 million of the proposed exception.
The DPE expires on March 10 if not used.
Source: Hoops Rumors
