Celtics granted $3.23 million disabled player exception due to Danilo Gallinari injury, per report

The Boston Celtics have been granted a $3.23 million disabled player exception due to the preseason injury suffered by free agent addition Danilo Gallinari, according to Shams Charania. Disabled player exceptions are granted when a player suffers an injury that is determined to be season-ending. Boston used its taxpayer mid-level exception on Gallinari in free agency, and will now have an exception worth half of that figure to be used in either the buyout market or in a trade.

The Celtics have two other notable exceptions to work with: a $6.9 million trade exception they got by sending out Juancho Hernangomez and a $5.9 million exception they generated when they sent Dennis Schroder to Houston. Both expire before the trade deadline. While these three exceptions all have value individually, they cannot be aggregated. This essentially means that the Celtics could add one player worth up to $6.9 million, another up to $5.9 million and a third for up to $3.23 million. Those figures might net solid reserves, but won’t shake up Boston’s roster too much. Boston could also theoretically trade Gallinari and his $6.5 million salary if it feels the need to add immediate upgrades.

The advantage of the disabled player exception, specifically, is that it does not prorate over the course of the season as other exceptions do. Buyout contracts are typically minimum-salary deals prorated over less than half of the remaining regular season, but with over $3 million to offer, the Celtics can make a compelling offer to any players that emerge on the free agent market during the season.

The 6-3 Celtics have done just fine without Gallinari thus far this season. Boston has endured the absence of Gallinari, the injury of Robert Williams III and the loss of head coach Ime Udoka, who is expected to take over the Brooklyn Nets after Boston suspended him for the season. Still, it never hurts to have the resources to supplement your roster, and Boston now has plenty of ways to add talent throughout the season.