The Detroit Pistons applied for a disabled player exception worth $9.2 million on Friday, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
The exception for their salary sheet would be for the likely season-ending injury incurred by Blake Griffin this week, where the Pistons saw their All-Star power forward undergo knee surgery.
Detroit has applied for a $9.2M disabled player exception for the potential season-ending loss of All-Star Blake Griffin, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 10, 2020
Detroit's disabled player exception request coincided with another report from Charania, saying that the Pistons and fellow Eastern Conference club the New York Knicks discussed a trade centering around center Andre Drummond. The 26-year-old two-time All-Star could be dealt by the Motown franchise before the NBA's trade deadline in February as a means to further rebuild, especially with Griffin sidelined.
New York reportedly do not want to part with draft picks — they currently own all of their own plus two future first-round picks via the Dallas Mavericks. Meanwhile, the Pistons do not want to acquire salary or long-term contracts on their books.
The conversation between the two teams appears to be very early and discussions could fray given where the two franchises are at. The Knicks are also a rebuilding team, supposedly, with multiple veterans on short-term deals on the roster at the moment. These players are candidates to be traded, too, like forward Marcus Morris and big man Bobby Portis among others.
Meanwhile, should the Pistons be granted the disabled player exception by the league, they would have space to possibly take on salary in a trade, maybe with Drummond, if that means also acquiring another asset like a draft pick.
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