The Celtics have a crucial tool available in filling some holes in their roster — Evan Fournier’s $17.1 million traded player exception (TPE).
Here’s what you need to know about the TPE, when it expires, and who the Celtics could pursue.
What is a TPE?
A traded-player exception is a complicated but important piece of NBA salary cap maneuvering. Boiled down, it’s a chance for a team (in this case the Celtics) to absorb the contract of a player in exchange for draft compensation even if the team has no cap space. It is created when a team sends a player out and doesn’t absorb any salary in the process.