Source: Kings waive DaQuan Jeffries to create roster spot following loss to Lakers
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, but Kings general manager Monte McNair isn’t done making moves to reshape the team’s roster.
A league source told The Sacramento Bee the Kings were planning to waive second-year player DaQuan Jeffries on Friday night following a 115-94 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Golden 1 Center. The Kings were planning to sign another player to fill the open roster spot, but those details were still being worked out, the source said.
In November, the Kings signed Jeffries, 23, to a two-year, $3 million deal with a team option in the second year. After missing 24 games with an ankle injury, Jeffries briefly established a role in the rotation, but he has played very little since early March.
Jeffries is averaging 3.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in his second NBA season. He had 17 points in a loss to the Miami Heat on Feb. 18. He topped that performances with 18 points in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 21.
Jeffries appeared in 13 games for the Kings last season, averaging 3.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per contest. He had an expanded role in the NBA bubble, where he scored 12 points in one game and 13 in another while showing promise as a versatile wing defender.
Jeffries signed with the Orlando Magic after going undrafted out of Tulsa in the 2019 NBA Draft. The Kings signed him to a two-way contract after Orlando waived him in October 2019.
Jeffries averaged 16.5 points and 6.9 rebounds last season in 27 games for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate. He had 44 points and nine rebounds in a game against the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
