According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Charlotte Hornets have released DaQuan Jeffries, who was a critical part of the deal that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks. Brian Windhorst of ESPN broke it down in an article after the deal happened:
“The Knicks signed-and-traded three players -- Charlie Brown Jr., DaQuan Jeffries and Duane Washington Jr. -- to the Charlotte Hornets to make the deal work under the apron rules Minnesota and New York had to deal with,” Windhorst wrote. “The Knicks signed them to contracts totaling $6.8 million to make the trade workable. Then they used the $7.2 million NBA teams are allowed to send out in trades per year and sent it to Charlotte, covering the cost of the players with the Hornets making $400,000 profit plus three second-round picks.
“he Knicks were only allowed to sign-and-trade Jeffries because they'd signed him to a rest-of-season contract (after two 10-day contracts) on March 25. Washington and Brown both ended last season with the Knicks on two-way deals, making them sign-and-trade eligible.”
But now, despite churning out a decent season with the Hornets last year, Jeffries is back to fighting for his NBA life.
Why did the Hornets release DaQuan Jeffries?
Jeffries only spent one season in New York, but he played for the Westchester Knicks for two seasons from 2022 to 2024. He only ever appeared in 17 games for the big-league club, playing 2.7 minutes per contest.
However, during the 2023-24 campaign, Jeffries appeared in 16 G League games, playing 35.4 minutes per contest. He averaged 23.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 49.1% from the field and 40.2% from deep range.
New York used him as a pawn in the Towns trade, bringing the All-Star big man to The Big Apple (and eventually reaching the Eastern Conference finals).
Meanwhile, Jeffries enjoyed a solid season in Charlotte. He appeared in 47 games, starting 20, and playing 22.8 minutes—the most of his career by far. Jeffries averaged 6.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 40.5% from the floor and 33.5% from deep on 3.5 three-point attempts per game.
Though he put up solid numbers with the Hornets, Jeffries is already 28 years old. And considering he’s no longer eligible for a two-way contract, it could be a struggle for him to latch on elsewhere in the NBA.