What the Celtics can and can't do with a potential disabled player exception for Gordon Hayward

UPDATE: Celtics were awarded a disabled player exception by the league on Friday, according to Shams Charamia of the Vertical

Gordon Hayward’s horrific leg injury on opening night left the Celtics in quite the bind as the start of an 82-game grind began. While there is no way for the Celtics to find a replacement with Hayward’s talent level, there are some methods for them to pursue some additional reinforcements for rest of the regular season slate as Hayward (likely) watches all of it from the sidelines. One of these avenues of improvement is applying for the disabled player exception, something Danny Ainge confirmed to the Boston Globe that the team will do in the coming weeks.

So what exactly does a DPE mean? What can the Celtics do with it? And is there even a guarantee the Celtics will be granted it for Hayward’s injury? Let’s break down the specifics with a Q-and-A to better understand what lies ahead.

Q: What is a disabled player exception?
A: The DPE is an exception to the salary cap like any other exception (mid-level exception, room exception etc.) Teams can apply for it when they believe they have lost a player to a season-ending injury and could use additional resources to pursue a player replacement.

Q: What is the process like for a team when applying for a DPE?
A: Any team can apply for the DPE up until January 15th of the NBA calendar year. A player’s medical information is submitted and examined by an independent doctor that is approved by the league. Said doctor evaluates the player’s medical information and (if needed) can examine a player and the specific injury. At that point, the doctor makes a determination on whether said player is more likely than not to miss the remainder of the NBA season (June 15 is used as an end of season date since it’s the end of NBA Finals). If the doctor believes it is substantially more likely than not that the player will miss the season, a team is granted the DPE. Otherwise, the application is rejected.

Q: What if a team disagrees with the doctor’s findings?
A: The player’s association has the right to appeal any ruling found by the independent doctor approved by the NBA. In the case of an appeal, a neutral physician, who is agreed upon by the league and the player’s association, examines the medical information and makes a ruling on the criteria. This ruling cannot be appealed.

Q: Can a team re-apply for the DPE if they are initially rejected?
A: Yes, a team can re-apply 90 days after their first application if there has been a new development with an injury. This would be useful in an instance where Hayward perhaps suffered a setback in his rehab and his recovery timetable was pushed back considerably from the original estimate.

Q: How long does the DPE approval process take?
A: League sources told Bostonsportsjournal.com that the time varies depending on the specifics and complexity of an injury case, but it’s usually a matter of days or a week after the application is officially submitted that a determination is made.

Q: If the DPE is granted to the Celtics, would that rule out the possibility of Gordon Hayward returning this year?
A: No. If Hayward returns ahead of schedule, he would be allowed to play, even if the Celtics had already used the DPE to acquire a player. Additionally, the Celtics could still continue using the player acquired by the DPE while Hayward played. They would need to forfeit the DPE though if it was unused before Hayward returned.

Q: How much would a DPE be worth for Hayward?
A: A DPE for Hayward would be worth the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is equal to $8.4 million.

Q: Can the DPE be used on multiple players?
A: No, it could only be used one player via trade, free agency or claiming a player on waivers.

Q: Are there any other restrictions on the DPE?
A: It can only be used on a player in the last season of their contract (if acquiring a player via trade or free agency). It also must be used by March 10th of the NBA season.

Q: What players (realistically) would be available for the Celtics for the DPE?
A: I broke down some of the more notable realistic names that could be available below:

Vince Carter: $8 million -- Could become available later in season if Kings flounder. Can’t be traded until Dec. 15.
Corey Brewer: $7.5 million -- Lakers would be happy to dump his deal
Channing Frye: $7.4 million -- Cavs would be happy to dump his deal
Trevor Ariza: $7.4 million -- Won’t be available unless C’s offer good value. Integral part of Rockets rotation
Jabari Parker: $6.7 million -- Bucks love him and he’s going to get fat contract next year. A fun pipe dream but don’t see it happening.
Marco Bellinelli: $6.6 million -- Potential trade deadline target if/when Hawks tank
Ed Davis: $6.3 million -- Blazers have a logjam in frontcourt and could be looking to cut payroll.
Wayne Ellington: $6.2 million -- Useful shooting weapon for Heat. C’s would have to give up decent value for him.
Ersan Ilyasova: $6 million -- See Bellinelli. Can’t be traded until Dec. 15.
Brandan Wright: $5.9 million -- The former Celtic is actually healthy for the first time in three years. Grizz are off to strong start so probably not looking to get rid of him...for now.
Josh McRoberts: $6 million -- Ideal target. Not playing at all on tanking team. He could be had for next to nothing.
Dante Exum: $4.9 million -- He’s hurt and a big part of Jazz rotation.
Devin Harris: $4.4 million -- Potential veteran rental on tanking Mavs team.
Nerlens Noel: $4.1 million -- Would lose Bird Rights if traded so highly doubtful he agrees to a deal (has no-trade clause)
Alex Len: $4.1 million -- Same situation as Noel so hard to see him being moved.
Nik Stauskas: $3.8 million -- He’s a shooter but his career has floundered in Sacramento and Philly.
Quincy Pondexter: $3.8 million -- Bulls got a second-round pick for taking on his salary so he could be given away. Could fill a nice wing shooting role.
Will Barton: $3.5 million -- Important bench piece for the Nuggets. Would cost Celtics serious assets.
Noah Vonleh: $3.5 million -- Like Davis, part of the Blazers logjam but he’s younger and has more upside.
Doug McDermott: $3.2 million -- Appealing wing shooter but one of few assets that the Knicks got in the Carmelo Anthony trade.

Other notable realistic names that could be acquired after Dec. 15 trade deadline restriction is lifted on them

Tyreke Evans
Tarik Black
Anthony Tolliver
James Ennis
Michael Carter-Williams
Any player signed to veteran’s minimum on a one-year deal

Q: Could the Celtics only target guys on this list with the DPE?
A: Not necessarily. The team could hold onto the DPE until the trade deadline and hope a helpful name becomes available if he is bought out by his original team. If said player clears waivers, the Celtics could offer him as much as $8.4 million to sign as a free agent for the remainder of the season, a very valuable weapon as they compete with other suitors.

Q: What are the odds that the Celtics actually get granted the DPE?
A: It’s a bit of a coin flip right now. Hayward’s agent and the team are stating publicly that Hayward’s likely out for the season, but we’ve heard about a 4-6 month timetable in a more optimistic scenario on his recovery (which would line up with April). Since the ruling from the NBA team doctor has to cover Hayward’s potential availability until June 15 (roughly eight months), it’s easy to see him going either way on it. If I had to guess, I would slightly favor the Celtics being granted the DPE because of the severity of the injury and the timing of it on opening night. The language in the CBA (substantially more likely to not return than return this season) makes it far from a sure thing though.

Q: What can the Celtics do while they wait for a ruling on the DPE?
A: We don’t know yet when the Celtics will officially apply for the DPE, but they still have the ability to sign any player to a veteran’s minimum contract before they do and while they wait for word. Here’s a deep dive into those possible free agent candidates here.