The Chicago Bulls have applied for the Disabled Player Exception, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. With Lonzo Ball set to miss the entirety of the 2023-24 season, the value of Chicago’s DPE would be $10.2 million, opening up some potential free agency and trade opportunities for the Bulls.
For a Chicago team looking to push forward and compete for a playoff spot heading into next season, this exception would be extremely valuable. It would open up a ton of doors for them, allowing them to add talent in an attempt to replace Ball, who was a crucial part of the team’s hot start in the 2021-22 season.
The DPE can be used to sign players, accept players via trade (like a Traded Player Exception, or TPE), or claim a player off waivers, as explained by Keith Smith of Spotrac.
“The DPE is unique in that it can be used to sign a player, trade for a player or to claim a player off waivers. However, there are restrictions with the DPE that do not exist for the other exceptions,” Smith wrote.
The restrictions on a DPE are that the contract can only be for the remainder of the season (or in the Bulls’ case, a one-year deal for the 2023-24 season), and it can only be used to sign or trade for a single player.
With NBA free agency still ongoing, if the Bulls were to be granted the exception, it could allow them to sign a higher-tier player than they would have been previously able to target.
