Boston Celtics granted an $8.4M player exception for Gordon Hayward injury

What's the story?

The Vertical confirmed that the NBA is granting the Boston Celtics an $8.4M disabled player exception as a result of losing guard Gordon Hayward during the season opener on October 17th.

In case you didn't know...

In that season-opening game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hayward suffered a dislocated ankle and fractured tibia after landing awkwardly after colliding with LeBron James mid-air.

The heart of the matter...

The Celtics can use the $8.4M exception to sign, trade, or claim a player who is in the last year of their contract with the open roster spot that Hayward's injury created. The exception is valid until the 10th of March.

It is only the 39th exception made since the NBA put this policy in place in 1995, and only 10 of those were ever used by a team. The most recent case is when the Denver Nuggets acquired Steve Novak from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015.

The disabled player exception for the Celtics is the largest in terms of dollar amount ever.

What's next?

Even though they lost their big free agent acquisition, the Boston Celtics are 5-2 and will take on the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday Night.

Author's take...

While the utilization of the exception is low, I have a good feeling that Boston may try to use it for some additional veteran leadership in the backcourt considering the backups to Hayward (Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum) are young.