The NBA reportedly granted Golden State Warriors a Disabled Player Exception due to the season-injury of their All-Star guard Klay Thompson. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Warriors will have $9.3 million to sign a replacement player without having to deal with salary-cap implications.
The exception was determined on the basis of a mid-level exception, and the team has until April 19th to use it.
There are three ways that Golden State can use their $9.3 million exception. The first way is to sign a player from the free-agent market to a one-year deal with the value equal or less than the value of the exception. The Warriors can also claim a player from waivers or trade for a player, but their contracts can’t be longer than one year or be worth more than $9.3 million.
It is important to note that Warriors also can’t divide the exception among two or more players.
Despite the limiting nature of the exception, this still gives Golden State Warriors badly-needed flexibility as they look to return to contention following a disastrous 2019/20 season that saw them finish with the NBA’s worst regular-season record. Warriors previously made several moves to add depth to their roster following Thompson’s injury, including the trade that landed them talented wing Kelly Oubre.
Thompson, who missed 2019/20 with an ACL injury, is ruled out for the next season after rupturing his Achilles during a recent workout.
