The biggest traded-player exceptions in the NBA right now
Ben Bartlett · Data as of October 14, 2026
As of October 14, 2026, there are 60 usable traded-player exceptions in the league. The largest is the Hornets' $40.8M LaMelo Ball TPE, which expires July 10, 2027. A TPE lets an over-the-cap team take in a player's salary without sending matching salary back, up to the exception's amount.
The largest live TPEs
Exceptions held by teams that used cap room this summer are left out. Using room renounces a team's standing exceptions.
How a TPE works
When a team sends out more salary than it takes back, it can keep the difference as an exception for one year. Later, it can absorb a player into that exception with nothing going back, which is why TPEs show up in salary dumps and deadline deals.
A TPE can't be combined with another player's salary to match a bigger contract, and it can't be used to sign a free agent. A TPE created before this offseason can't be used if it would leave the team over the first apron, and using one hard-caps the team there for the season.
Common questions
Which NBA team has the biggest trade exception?
The Charlotte Hornets, with a $40.8M exception from LaMelo Ball, expiring July 10, 2027.
Can a traded-player exception be used to sign a free agent?
No. A TPE only absorbs a player acquired by trade (or claimed off waivers). Free agents need cap room, a mid-level or bi-annual exception, Bird rights, or the minimum.
Test a deal against these rules.
Build a trade or signing and the sim rules on it, with the relevant citation when one applies.