It is unfortunate that Lonzo Ball will continue to miss games as he has been ruled out for the whole 2023-2024 NBA season.
However, the Chicago Bulls cannot just sit and wait for their number one point guard to be back, and they are now applying for a Disabled Player Exception.
"If granted by the NBA, the exception would be worth about half of Ball's salary (around $10.2 million), and it allows a team to replace a player who is out for the season," ESPN wrote.
"The Bulls would be allowed to trade or claim a player only in the final year of their contract or sign a free agent to a one-year deal."
The Bulls seek more flexibility in the trade market, and Ball's $20 million salary limits them.
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Ball has been out since January 2022 due to a meniscus tear. He underwent cartilage transplant surgery in March this year.
To fill in the spot that will continue to be vacated by the 25-year-old PG, Bulls re-signed Coby White and signed free agent Jevon Carter from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Recent history of DPE in the NBA
The DPE does not necessarily mean the player's career is over.
The Oklahoma City Thunder used such a feature on their top prized rookie Chet Holmgren who missed what could've been his first season last year. They used the exception to sign Mo Harkless.
Detroit Pistons also used the DPE to solve their problem with former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham who suffered from a left tibial stress fracture.
There is a chance, though, that players under DPE could be traded just like what Boston did to Danilo Gallinari, who never got to wear a Celtics uniform.
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