What is the Disabled Player Exception in NBA? Lonzo Ball injury allows Chicago Bulls to apply for $10.2 million exception

With Lonzo Ball expected to miss the entire 2023-24 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls have reportedly applied for a disabled player exception worth $10.2 million. The Athletic's Shams Charania was the first to report on this. Ball has been out since January 2022 after suffering a torn meniscus. He's had three surgeries so far.

That ruled him out for the rest of the 2021-22 season, the entire 2022-23 season and now until next year. The latest procedure, a cartilage transplant surgery performed in March, is expected to be the surgery that revives his career.

It's been a while since a team has applied for a disabled player exception (DPE). It could be a confusing term for several fans. So what is a DPE? Let's get into it.

A disabled player exception is applied when a team is expected to miss a player on contract due to injury for the whole season. The NBA assesses the situation and grants the exception. They could also decline the application based on their assessment.

In a DPE, the team could create an exception worth half the salary of the player injured for that season. For example, Lonzo Ball will earn $20.4 million this year, so the Chicago Bulls are eligible to create a $10.2 million exception, as reported by The Athletic.

The disabled player exception has certain limitations. The team that is granted one can only trade for players in the final year of their contracts or sign free agents to one-year deals. It also impacts the team's salary cap hit.

Chicago Bulls bolster guard depth with Lonzo Ball still sidelined

The Chicago Bulls remained busy in finding options to bolster their guard depth, with Lonzo Ball expected to miss the entire season. They signed veteran point guard Jevon Carter in free agency to a three-year $20 million contract.

The Bulls are also expected to re-sign restricted free agent Ayo Dosunmu, who has covered for the starting guard role in Ball's absence. Meanwhile, the Bulls have re-signed free agent guard Coby White to a three-year $40 million deal. They still have Alex Caruso on the team.

Jevon Carter could be a game-changer for the Chicago Bulls this season. He was solid in his stint with the Milwaukee Bucks the last two seasons. Carter averaged a career-high 8.0 points and 2.4 assists, shooting 42.1% from 3-point range. He played only 22.4 minutes a night as a backup for Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen.

Carter thrived with more playing time, tallying four 20-point games on efficient shooting splits. He would be an excellent option to cover for some of Ball's scoring.