Woj: Thomas Bryant has a torn ACL: OUT until 2021-22

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I don't understand this. I thought the whole point of a TPE was to let you bring in a player beyond the 15-man roster. Not so?

Why would we need a TPE to sign someone if we had an open roster spot?

The point of the TPE is that it's an exception used to exceed the salary cap. We are currently over the cap and have used almost our entire MLE. The only way we can sign anybody is with the vet minimum exception or $1.7M (we have an unlimited number of those) or the Bi-Annual Exception (about $3M IIRC). The Injury Exception gives us another option, this one allows us to spend up to half of Bryant's salary.

The bigger obstacle is the luxury tax. These exceptions don't shield the player's salary from counting against the luxtax. And we are right against the limit.

Sloppy on my part, sorry -- it's the Injury Exception I meant. If it allows us to sign someone to replace Bryant, why would we need to clear a roster spot first?

https://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/WAS.html has us at $126,343,145, but it leaves out Jerome Robinson's 3,737,520 for some reason. Thus $130,080,665. From http://www.basketballinsiders.com/washington-wizards-team-salary/, OTOH, I have $130,878,917 for 15, including Pasecniks.

What is the tax line this season?

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But, what possible point is there to bringing in Ian Mahinmi? Or Dedmon?

I've got no delusions about the current team's competitiveness, but I do think there's some value to surrounding what young players you have with veterans that are at least functional. I think there's a point where the baseline competence of, say, a Dewayne Dedmon provides a greater benefit (by not actively hampering the development of our other young players) than does chasing the very slim number of outcomes where Mo Wagner magically blossoms into a markedly more effective player than Dedmon upon getting 35 minutes of run a night.

That's pretty much a last resort though, I think - I'd love to give Patton or somebody a try first, and absolutely agree that whatever stopgap big we end up with absolutely should not have a cost, salary- or asset-wise, above a vet minimum contract.

But... you are disagreeing w/ me in your first paragraph then agreeing in the second one!