Report: Pistons Given $9.2M Player Exception for Blake Griffin Long-Term Injury

The Detroit Pistons received a $9.2 million disabled player exception with Blake Griffin likely to miss the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Detroit announced Jan. 7 that Griffin had undergone arthroscopic surgery on his knee, with no timetable for his return to the court.

Applying for the exception made sense because it was an available option for the Pistons. ESPN's Bobby Marks highlighted how the DPE has rarely yielded tangible benefits, however:

The Pistons already have 15 players on the roster, so they can't use the exception to sign a player without releasing somebody first. They're also just $3,668 under the luxury tax, per Spotrac, which further complicates matters.

Should Ed Stefanski, the team's de facto general manager, choose to go into selling mode ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline, the DPE could provide a bit more flexibility.

The Pistons are only three games back of the eighth-seeded Brooklyn Nets, but with Griffin's injury and Andre Drummond's impending free agency, some may argue Detroit is better off taking a longer view with the roster.

Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reported the Atlanta Hawks are no longer interested in Drummond but that Derrick Rose is on the radar for contenders looking to strengthen for second half of the season.