Disabled player exceptions (DPEs) awarded earlier in the 2025/26 NBA season will become void if they are not used by Tuesday, March 10, the league’s annual cutoff date.
DPEs allow a franchise that loses a player to a season-ending injury before January 15 to add a replacement on a one-year deal, trade for a player in the final year of his contract, or claim such a player off waivers. The mechanism is limited to the amount of the exception granted for the injured player.
Clubs Facing Tuesday’s Deadline
- Chicago Bulls: $2,714,760 (Noa Essengue)
- Dallas Mavericks: $2,626,680 (Dereck Lively II)
- Houston Rockets: $12,500,000 (Fred VanVleet)
- Indiana Pacers: $14,104,000 (Tyrese Haliburton)
- Los Angeles Clippers: $2,677,000 (Bradley Beal)
- Milwaukee Bucks: $1,651,887 (Taurean Prince)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $2,327,520 (Thomas Sorber)
- Washington Wizards: $1,769,880 (Cam Whitmore)
Dallas obtained a second exception of $1,148,137 for Dante Exum’s season-ending knee injury, but that DPE was voided when Exum was traded to Washington at the deadline.
Because the trade deadline has passed and the only current waiver candidate is sidelined by a significant knee injury, signing a free agent remains the lone path for teams to deploy a DPE. No available free agent is expected to command more than the veteran minimum, making it unlikely any of the listed teams will use their exceptions before Tuesday night.
DPEs have historically seen limited use, and their relevance has declined since the NBA began allowing teams to apply mid-level and bi-annual exceptions to trades and waiver claims. This is the second season in which those broader exceptions can be employed in that manner.
Source: Hoops Rumors
