Nuggets Granted Disabled Player Exception

The Nuggets have received a disabled player exception as a result of Michael Porter Jr.‘s back surgery, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The exception is worth $2,629,368, half of Porter’s $5,258,735 salary.

A salary cap exception designed to give teams extra flexibility when a player suffers a major injury, the disabled player exception can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade. The exception 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.

Although the disabled player exception gives a team extra cap flexibility, it doesn’t open up an extra spot on the 15-man roster. The club must have a roster spot available to use the DPE to add a player.

The fact that Denver has been granted a disabled player exception related to Porter’s injury is interesting, since multiple reports this month have suggested the forward could make his return this spring.

The Nuggets receiving a DPE doesn’t mean that Porter can’t return this season. However, it does mean an NBA-designated physician determined he’s more likely than not to be sidelined through June 15. That suggests Denver’s medical staff may be more bullish about Porter’s recovery timeline than an independent doctor is.

The Nuggets will have until March 10 to use their new disabled player exception. It would expire at that point if it hasn’t been used. If Porter returns before March 10 (which seems like a long shot), Denver would lose the disabled player exception. If the team uses the DPE to acquire a player and then MPJ returns later in the season, the player acquired using the exception wouldn’t be affected.

Besides the Nuggets, the Cavaliers ($8.9MM) and Pelicans ($1.9MM) have also been granted disabled player exceptions this season for season-ending injuries to Ricky Rubio and Kira Lewis, respectively.