Denver Nuggets proceed with move in response to Vlatko Cancar injury
By Sam LaFrance
The Denver Nuggets have reportedly applied for a disabled player exception for Vlatko Cancar from the NBA. DPE's are granted when a player is sidelined for an extended period of time. The idea is that the exception permits their team to find a replacement.
Cancar went down with a torn ACL over the summer, while he was playing a FIBA World Cup qualifying game for his home country of Slovenia. He is expected to miss the entirety of the 2023-2024 NBA season.
According to The Denver Gazette's Vinny Benedetto, the team likely won't use the exception due to the fact that they already have a full roster.
"The Nuggets have applied for a disabled player exception (DPE) for Vlatko Cancar ahead of the Jan. 15 deadline, multiple sources tell me," he wrote in a post on X. "I'm told there's no plan to use it. The DPE is only worth 1/2 of the injured player's salary, which is ~$1.1 million in this case."
The DPE doesn't create an additional roster spot, and Denver already has 15 players under contract. Only way I see the DPE coming into play is if the Nuggets made a trade that opens up a roster spot. Even then, there's not a ton of money to give a free agent/buy-out candidate.
— Vinny Benedetto (@VBenedetto) January 3, 2024
What could the Denver Nuggets do with a Disabled Player Exception?
The answer is -- not a whole lot. Like Benedetto mentioned in the post, the exception would only be worth half of Cancar's $2.2 million salary.
Sure, they could offer that up to a free agent, but again, they don't have the room. Even if they did have an open spot, there aren't too many exciting names out there looking for a place to lace 'em up.
The best names out there are guys like TJ Warren, Blake Griffin, and Meyers Leonard. Those aren't exactly guys who would give Denver an added boost on their journey to repeating as NBA champions.
Griffin is the most appealing of the bunch, he's someone who would generate some buzz amongst the fanbase, and could contribute on a smaller scale.
He did a solid job in a minimal role with the Boston Celtics last season, picking up minutes when some of the everyday bigs needed a day off.