Report: Nets Granted $5.7M Disabled Player Exception After Dinwiddie Injury

The NBA reportedly has granted the Brooklyn Nets a $5.7 million disabled player exception after point guard Spencer Dinwiddie suffered a season-ending torn ACL on December 28 against the Charlotte Hornets. 

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the news on the exception, which the Nets must use by April 19.

Larry Coon broke down how teams can use the exception in his breakdown of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement:

"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."

Dinwiddie underwent successful ACL reconstruction on January 4, and he's expected to miss the rest of the 2020-21 campaign, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

The NBA salary cap is set at $109,140,000 this year, per Mark J. Medina of USA Today. Brooklyn currently has the NBA's second-highest payroll at over $164.2 million, per HoopsHype.

This year's Nets team has gone 9-7 through 16 games. Brooklyn recently added 2017-18 NBA MVP (and three-time reigning scoring champion) James Harden via a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets, joining superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Losing Dinwiddie is still a tough blow, even with the trade and the exception. He averaged a career-high 20.6 points and 6.8 assists last year. Those numbers were naturally going to take a dip with the returns of Irving and Durant from injury, but Dinwiddie was at the peak of his career and played a key role in guiding the Nets to back-to-back playoff appearances.

However, having the exception in their back pocket certainly gives the Nets options down the stretch in case they need depth due to injury or want to add an extra piece for a hopeful championship run.