Final
Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks
135 – 117
2026-27 · Preseason · Preseason
Game state source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 9, 6:06 pm EDTNBA Disabled Player Exception: 2026-27 limits, deadlines and player returns
The Disabled Player Exception, or DPE, lets an eligible team sign or acquire one replacement player after a qualifying injury or illness. It provides a salary-cap mechanism; it does not replace the injured player’s entire salary or automatically open another roster spot.
How much can a team use?
Start with the lesser of half the injured player’s Salary for the current salary-cap year or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. For 2026-27, the NBA’s announced non-taxpayer MLE is $15.044 million. That is a ceiling used by the formula, not an amount awarded to every team with an injured player.
| Use | Salary limit | Contract limit |
|---|---|---|
| Sign a free agent | Salary plus Unlikely Bonuses up to the lesser amount above. | One season: the season in which the player signs. |
| Acquire by trade or waiver claim | Post-assignment Salary up to the lesser amount above, plus $100,000. | Only one season remaining on the acquired contract. |
The extra $100,000 applies to acquiring an existing contract, not to a new signing. A future option year counts as another contract season, even if the option has not yet been exercised. A waiver claim is an assignment, but the CBA’s defined term “trade” excludes waiver assignments. Article VII §6(c)(1), printed page 233; §§8(k), 9(a)(1)–(2), printed page 266.
Compare a hypothetical salary
These examples assume an approved, unused DPE and use the collected 2026-27 non-taxpayer MLE. They show the dollar-limit formula, not whether a real team or transaction qualifies.
- $10,000,000 injured-player Salary
- New signing: up to $5,000,000 in Salary plus Unlikely Bonuses. Acquisition: up to $5,100,000 in post-assignment Salary.
- $20,000,000 injured-player Salary
- New signing: up to $10,000,000 in Salary plus Unlikely Bonuses. Acquisition: up to $10,100,000 in post-assignment Salary.
- $40,000,000 injured-player Salary
- New signing: up to $15,044,000 in Salary plus Unlikely Bonuses. Acquisition: up to $15,144,000 in post-assignment Salary.
For a signing, bonuses use part of the limit; the result is not all available as guaranteed salary if Unlikely Bonuses are included. Unused capacity cannot fund a second replacement. The calculation stays in your browser and does not select players or approve a deal.
Who qualifies, and who makes the medical decision?
An injury report marked Out does not establish DPE eligibility. The CBA requires a physician to find it substantially more likely than not that the player will be unable to play through the following June 15. That is a defined medical assessment, rather than a claim that recovery is impossible.
The NBA designates the physician who reviews the medical information and may examine the player. The NBA must tell the Players Association of the determination within one business day. If the union disputes it, a jointly selected neutral physician makes the final, binding determination after reviewing the information and, if requested, examining the player. Article VII §6(c)(2)–(4), printed page 233; continued on printed page 234.
The exception is available only to the team that had the player under contract when the injury or illness became known, or reasonably should have become known, and during that contract’s term. The player must remain on that team’s roster from application through the grant. Acquiring an already injured player therefore does not simply transfer another team’s unused DPE. §6(c)(7), printed page 234.
The application deadline differs from the use deadline
- July 1 through January 15: a team may apply for the exception for that salary-cap year, regardless of when the disabling injury or illness occurred.
- After medical approval: an eligible team may use the granted exception for its one replacement, within the salary and contract limits.
- The following March 10: the exception expires if not used. It may end earlier if the injured player resumes playing for the team or is traded before use.
January 15 is the application cutoff; March 10 is not an extension of that application window. The separate unused-exception reduction beginning January 10 expressly excludes the DPE. It does not receive the same daily reduction as the exceptions covered by that provision. Article VII §6(c)(1), (3); §6(n)(4), printed page 249.
What if the injured player returns sooner than expected?
The injured player may return after recovery. Before use, a return to play extinguishes the unused exception. After use, that return does not undo the replacement acquisition. The distinction is when the team used the exception, not whether the original medical prediction proved exact. A trade of the injured player also extinguishes an unused exception. §6(c)(6), printed page 234.
If an application is denied, another request for the same player requires at least 90 days and a new injury or aggravation of the same injury. For a subsequent season, the team may apply again under the rules whether the earlier request was granted or denied. A past award is not an automatic new-season allowance. §6(c)(8), printed pages 234–235.
An exception is not salary removal or an extra roster place
A DPE cannot be combined with another exception to buy a more expensive replacement. It also cannot simply be stacked on ordinary cap room: the CBA’s exception-accounting rules govern when the team can keep it, and the replacement’s Salary counts in Team Salary when it is used. Other applicable transaction and apron restrictions remain relevant. Article VII §6(m)–(n), printed page 247; continued on printed page 248.
The injured player’s salary is not erased by granting a DPE. Career-ending injury or illness salary exclusion has its own criteria and procedure under Article VII §4(h), printed pages 222–224. Likewise, NBA hardship authorization can address roster limits and special short-contract timing; it is a different mechanism from this cap exception. See the hardship and 10-day contract explanation and Article XXIX §2(b)(ii)(A), printed page 429.
For related contract tools, compare the three mid-level exceptions and traded-player exceptions. Each has its own permitted uses and expiry rules.
Quick answers
- How much is an NBA Disabled Player Exception?
- For a new signing, Salary plus Unlikely Bonuses cannot exceed the lesser of half the injured player’s current salary-cap-year Salary or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The announced 2026-27 non-taxpayer MLE is $15.044 million. Acquisition by assignment has a separate limit of that lesser amount plus $100,000.
- Does a Disabled Player Exception create an extra roster spot?
- No. It is a salary-cap exception for one replacement player. It does not itself create a roster place or remove the injured player’s salary from the cap. NBA hardship authorization and career-ending salary exclusion are separate mechanisms.
- When does an NBA Disabled Player Exception expire?
- The exception expires on the March 10 following its grant. The unused exception also ends if the injured player returns to play for the team or is traded before it is used. Teams may apply from July 1 through January 15.
- Can the injured player return after the exception is used?
- Yes. The CBA permits the injured player to resume playing after recovery. If the team already used its exception, that return does not undo the replacement acquisition; returning before use extinguishes the unused exception.
- Can a Disabled Player Exception be split between players?
- No. Article VII §6(c) permits one replacement player. It cannot be combined with another exception to exceed a single exception’s permitted salary, and a replacement contract may cover only the current season.
- Does the Disabled Player Exception shrink after January 10?
- No. Article VII §6(n)(4) expressly excludes the Disabled Player Exception from that unused-exception daily reduction rule. Its March 10 expiration and other eligibility requirements still apply.