A vital tool within the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement is the trade exception. While it come in many flavors, allowing teams to take back salary in return for outgoing players, the Standard Traded Player Exception (STPE) is the type that lasts a full calendar year.
For teams that are under the first apron ($178,132,000 for the 2024-25 season), the STPE can be used to take in up to $250,000 more than its value. For instance, a $10 million STPE can bring back a player earning up to $10,250,000 in salaries. Or it can be used to take back two players earning $5,250,000 each (as separate transactions).
Franchises above the first apron don’t get that extra $250,000 in padding, so a $10 million STPE can bring back a player earning up to $10 million. Additionally, after the season, teams above the first apron cannot use any preexisting trade exceptions.
Starting with in 2024-25, teams will be able to use their Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Salary Exception (NTMLE), Mid-Level Salary Exception for Room Teams (RMLE) and Bi-annual Exception (BAE) as if they were trade exceptions, provided they are under the first apron.
Trade exceptions cannot be combined. The following is the current list of NBA TPEs. Also included are any Disabled Player Exceptions (DPE), which can only be used to acquire a single player whose contract expires after the 204-25 season.
For teams that were over the first apron in 2043-25, their preexisting trade exceptions are unusable [X]. Additionally, teams above the second apron cannot use a TPE generated by a player going out via sign-and-trade (also marked with an [X]).
| Team | Amount | Expiring | Player |
| Atlanta Hawks | $3,712,920 | 6/27/25 | AJ Griffin Jr. |
| $25,266,266 | 7/7/25 | Dejounte Murray | |
| $3,500,000 | 2/6/26 | Cody Zeller | |
| $13,101,561 | 2/6/26 | Bogdan Bogdanović | |
| Boston Celtics | $4,018,363 | 2/6/26 | Jaden Springer |
| Brooklyn Nets | $23,300,000 | 7/7/25 | Mikal Bridges |
| $2,654,644 | 7/7/25 | Keita Bates-Diop | |
| $1,392,150 | 7/21/25 | Mamadi Diakite | |
| $203,250 | 12/15/25 | Dennis Schröder | |
| $2,875,000 | 12/29/25 | Shake Milton | |
| Charlotte Hornets | $6,512,625 | 3/10/25 | Grant Williams (DPE) |
| Chicago Bulls | $2,872,960 | 6/23/25 | Alex Caruso |
| $675,875 | 7/8/25 | DeMar DeRozan | |
| $17,186,573 | 7/8/25 | Zach LaVine | |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | $8,500,000 | 2/6/26 | Georges Niang |
| Dallas Mavericks | $7,006,589 | 7/7/25 | Tim Hardaway Jr. |
| $11,000,000 | 2/2/26 | Maxi Kleber | |
| $2,087,519 | 2/2/26 | Markieff Morris | |
| $4,296,682 | 2/4/26 | Quentin Grimes | |
| Denver Nuggets | $1,532,820 | 3/10/25 | DaRon Holmes II (DPE) |
| $5,250,000 | 7/7/25 | Reggie Jackson | |
| Golden State Warriors | $8,780,488 | 2/6/26 | Kyle Anderson |
| $2,196,970 | 2/6/26 | Lindy Waters III | |
| Indiana Pacers | $2,217,691 | 3/10/25 | Isaiah Jackson (DPE) |
| $2,237,691 | 2/6/26 | James Wiseman | |
| LA Clippers | $6,539,000 | 2/2/26 | PJ Tucker |
| $2,087,519 | 2/2/26 | Mo Bamba | |
| $4,158,439 | 2/6/26 | Bones Hyland | |
| Los Angeles Lakers | $1,891,857 | 12/29/25 | Maxwell Lewis |
| $893,140 | 12/29/25 | D’Angelo Russell | |
| $187,500 | 2/2/26 | Anthony Davis | |
| Memphis Grizzlies | $6,133,005 | 7/1/25 | Ziaire Williams |
| $7,710,284 | 2/6/26 | Marcus Smart | |
| Miami Heat | $2,087,519 | 12/15/25 | Thomas Bryant |
| $16,070,814 | 2/6/26 | Jimmy Butler | |
| $3,051,53 | 2/6/26 | Josh Richardson | |
| Milwaukee Bucks | $7,210,606 | 2/6/26 | Khris Middleton |
| $2,087,519 | 2/6/26 | Delon Wright | |
| $702,950 | 2/6/26 | AJ Johnson | |
| $366,783 | 2/6/26 | MarJon Beauchamp | |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | $8,780,488 | 7/7/25 | Kyle Anderson |
| $2,537,040 | 7/7/25 | Wendell Moore Jr. | |
| $4,686,880 | 10/2/25 | Karl-Anthony Towns | |
| New Orleans Pelicans | $9,900,000 | 7/7/25 | Jonas Valančiūnas |
| $2,087,519 | 2/5/26 | Daniel Theis | |
| $13,016,200 | 2/6/26 | Brandon Ingram | |
| New York Knicks | $2,092,344 | 2/6/26 | Jericho Sims |
| Orlando Magic | $5,500,000 | 3/10/25 | Mo Wagner (DPE) |
| Philadelphia 76ers | $2,010,180 | 3/10/25 | Jared McCain (DPE) |
| $3,852,319 | 2/4/26 | Caleb Martin | |
| $7,975,000 | 2/6/26 | KJ Martin | |
| $2,087,519 | 2/6/26 | Reggie Jackson | |
| Phoenix Suns | $726,547 | 7/29/25 | David Roddy |
| $3,250,000 | 1/15/26 | Josh Okogie | |
| $2,282,000 | 2/6/26 | Jusuf Nurkić | |
| Portland Trail Blazers | $6,875,000 | 7/7/25 | Malcolm Brogdon |
| Sacramento Kings | $4,449,607 | 6/30/25 | Sasha Vezenkov |
| $547,640 | 6/30/25 | Davion Mitchell | |
| $5,893,768 | 7/8/25 | Chris Duarte | |
| $4,741,800 | 10/15/25 | Jalen McDaniels | |
| $16,830,357 | 2/3/26 | Kevin Huerter | |
| $1,891,857 | 2/5/26 | Sidy Cissoko | |
| $2,120,691 | 2/6/26 | Colby Jones | |
| Utah Jazz | $2,924,340 | 3/10/25 | Taylor Hendricks (DPE) |
| $3,564,000 | 2/6/26 | PJ Tucker | |
| Washington Wizards | $9,900,000 | 2/5/26 | Jonas Valančiūnas |
| $5,291,160 | 2/6/26 | Johnny Davis | |
| $2,448,840 | 2/6/26 | Patrick Baldwin Jr. |
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X/Twitter @EricPincus.
(Updated on 2/12/25)
Leave A Comment