The Oklahoma City Thunder have applied for a Disabled Player Exception for rookie big man Chet Holmgren. If approved, the exception will be for $4,945,620 for Holmgren.
In order for the exception to be approved it will have to be determined that Holmgren is “more likely than not to miss the entire season” by an independent review board. The Thunder have already announced that Holmgren will miss the upcoming season due to Lisfranc fractured in his right foot.
Holmgren was injured while playing in the CrawsOver Pro-Am last weekend. While defending LeBron James, Holmgren stepped awkwardly and was seen limping off the court. A few days later, Oklahoma City confirmed the Lisfranc fracture.
If the Thunder are granted the Disabled Player Exception, they’ll be able to use it to sign, trade for or claim off waivers one player. The player must be on an expiring contract, with no options, and his salary must fit within the DPE amount. The exception is worth one-half of the player’s salary, up to a maximum of the equivalent of the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception. The DPE is a signing exception, and not a roster exception. OKC will still need to maintain a maximum of 15 players on standard contracts.
