The NBA has granted the Los Angeles Lakers a disabled player exception following DeMarcus Cousins injuring his knee. This was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Lakers have been granted a disabled player exception worth $1.75M from the NBA for the expected season-ending ACL injury to DeMarcus Cousins, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. It expires on March 10, 2020.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 19, 2019
The Lakers applied for the DPE following the season-ending injury suffered by DeMarcus Cousins. The $1.75 million dollars is half of Cousins’ salary.
Per Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights: The Lakers would be able to cut Cousins and keep the DPE, but would not be able to trade the Kentucky alumni if they wanted to keep the exception.
So, how can the Lakers use the money?
The team still has a full roster, meaning a player would be cut if the money were to be used on a player. But, the exception has to be used before March 10th. The $1.75 million is just slightly more than the minimum.
If a player were available, the Lakers would be able to offer more than the minimum. There is no telling if the Lakers have a player in mind if they were granted the DPE. But it is important that they applied and got it in the case that they needed to use it.
