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The San Antonio Spurs are applying for a disabled player exception (DPE) for injured center Charles Bassey, ESPN reported Tuesday.

Bassey, 23, tore his left ACL on Dec. 10 while on assignment with the G League’s Austin Spurs and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

A DPE can be applied when a player has an injury determined to be season-ending. It gives a team above the salary cap an exception to sign a replacement player, essentially giving the team additional spending flexibility.

If accepted, the DPE gives the Spurs a 16th guaranteed roster spot until a March 10 deadline, meaning the Spurs wouldn’t have to waive Bassey or anyone else to add a player before then.

A DPE for Bassey would be worth about $1.3 million if granted, according to Spotrac.

The Spurs are likely to need help. Center Zach Collins is out 2-4 weeks with an ankle sprain suffered in Friday’s loss to Portland, and rookie Victor Wembanyama’s playing time has been restricted due to ankle issues.

Bassey played in 19 games (zero starts) and averaged 3.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 10.8 minutes before being sent to the G League in early December to get more consistent playing time.

He has career averages of 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 77 games (two starts) with the Spurs and the Philadelphia 76ers, who drafted him in the second round in 2021.

–Field Level Media

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