Report: Warriors Apply for Disabled Player Exception After Klay Thompson Injury

The Golden State Warriors have applied for a disabled player exception worth $9.3 million following news that shooting guard Klay Thompson suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

Larry Coon explained how the disabled player exception works in his CBA FAQ:

"This exception allows a team which is over the cap to replace a disabled player who will be out for the remainder of that season (it can also be granted in the event of a player's death). This exception is granted by the league, based on an application from the team and a determination by an NBA-designated physician or Fitness to Play panel (see question number 62) that the player is substantially more likely than not to be unable to play through the following June 15."

A granted exception allows a team to replace the injured player via free agency, trade or waiver claim.

Thompson, 30, missed the entire 2019-20 season with a torn ACL suffered during the 2019 NBA Finals. He was set to return for the beginning of the 2020-21 season on Dec. 22 but suffered a season-ending Achilles tear during a workout Wednesday.

Losing Thompson is a huge blow to the Warriors, who are looking to rebound after finishing an NBA-worst 15-50 last year.

Thompson won five Western Conference titles and three NBA Championships with Golden State from 2014-15 to 2018-19 and has averaged 19.5 points per game for his career. He is a five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA team member who has made at least 40 percent of his three-pointers every year of his career.

The Warriors struggled largely because of the departure of Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets and injuries to Thompson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and D'Angelo Russell.

Curry, a two-time NBA MVP, missed all but five games last season because of injury. He'll be back on a retooled Warriors team that added Memphis big man James Wiseman in the NBA draft and is finalizing a deal for Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kelly Oubre Jr., per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Andrew Wiggins, who joined the Warriors in a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves that sent Russell out of town, will likely join the backcourt with Curry. Green figures to man the power forward spot.