There are a whopping 70 entries at the moment our list of traded players exceptions available to teams across the league. All but one of those 70 exceptions, which allow a team to take on a certain amount of salary without sending out an equivalent matching salary, will still be available when the calendar turns to February and the trade deadline approaches, though most are expected to expire unused.
In many cases, it is impractical for a team to use a trade exception. The exemption may be too small to be legitimately useful, or the team may not be able to add more salary to its books because of its position on the luxury tax line or tax aprons.
In some cases, the best a team can do with an exception is extend it for another year. For example, if a club has a $10M trade exception and ends up trading one $10M player for another, they can use that exception to acquire a rookie, creating a new $10M TPE for the departing player.
However, there are a few trade exceptions around the league that could be really helpful at this year’s trade deadline, allowing teams to collect salary without sending it out themselves. We’re taking a closer look at these exceptions to watch out for in the coming months.
Charlotte Hornets
Amount: US$40,770,520
Expires: 7/12/27