What is the mid-level exception (MLE)?
The full MLE (9.12% of the cap, up to 4 years) for over-the-cap teams that stay below the first apron. Spending past the taxpayer portion — in dollars or years — hard-caps the team at the first apron for the rest of the season, and later moves must stay under that ceiling.
2023 CBA · Art. VII §6(e)
The 2026-27 exception amounts
Who used it this July
Current 2026 offseason data: the Hawks (Jock Landale NT-MLE); the Celtics (Mitchell Robinson NT-MLE); the Pacers (Kelly Oubre Jr. NT-MLE (partial)); the Clippers (Rui Hachimura NT-MLE); the Heat (Tim Hardaway Jr. NT-MLE); the 76ers (Wade + Simons NT-MLE (split)); the Kings (Precious Achiuwa NT-MLE); the Spurs (Tobias Harris NT-MLE); the Jazz (Hayes + Okogie NT-MLE (split)). Each of those teams is hard-capped at the first apron of $209.0M for the rest of the season.
Common questions
Does using the MLE hard-cap a team?
Using more than the taxpayer-MLE portion of the non-taxpayer MLE hard-caps the team at the first apron ($209.0M) for the rest of the season.
Can a team that used cap room also use the MLE?
No — operating as a cap-room team forfeits the non-taxpayer MLE, taxpayer MLE, and bi-annual exception for that year. Room teams get the smaller Room MLE instead.
See it enforced, not just explained.
Build a trade or signing and the sim rules on it, with the relevant citation when one applies.