DaQuan Jeffries

Jeffries is a journeyman wing whose professional career has been defined by persistent roster movement, multiple 10-day contracts, and steady perseverance through the NBA's developmental margins. Originally projected as a second-round pick, he went undrafted in 2019 and has since played for nine NBA organizations while shuttling between standard contracts, two-way deals, and G League assignments. His story is one of survival in the league's ecosystem of fringe rotation players, emergency signings, and waiver-wire transactions.

Born DaQuan Marquel Jeffries on August 30, 1997, he attended high school in Oklahoma before enrolling at Oral Roberts. After one season, he transferred to Western Texas College, a junior college program, before moving to Tulsa for his final two collegiate seasons. As a senior at Tulsa, he averaged 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds and was named third-team All-American Athletic Conference. He participated in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a showcase for senior prospects, and was originally projected as a second-round selection in the 2019 NBA draft.

Despite the projections, Jeffries went undrafted on June 20, 2019. He signed with the Orlando Magic on June 21 and reportedly declined a two-way deal to compete for a standard roster spot. On October 19, 2019, the Magic released him. Two days later, on October 21, he signed a two-way contract with the Sacramento Kings, splitting time between the Kings and their G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings. On December 13, 2019, he tallied 44 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks for Stockton in a win over Sioux Falls. He suffered an undisclosed injury later that month.

On November 28, 2020, Sacramento converted his two-way deal to a standard contract. He appeared in 31 games across two seasons with the Kings before being waived on April 3, 2021. On April 5, 2021, the Houston Rockets claimed him off waivers, but he appeared in only 13 games before Houston waived him on May 13. On May 15, the San Antonio Spurs claimed him off waivers, adding another stop to his itinerant 2020-21 season. On October 7, 2021, the Atlanta Hawks signed him but waived him on October 15. He then joined the College Park Skyhawks of the G League and averaged 15.4 points and 2.4 rebounds.

On January 1, 2022, Jeffries signed a 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies via hardship exemption and appeared in three games, scoring two total points. On January 11, he was reacquired by College Park. On September 15, 2022, he signed with the New York Knicks but was waived after training camp. He joined the Westchester Knicks on October 24. On November 29, 2022, he signed a two-way contract with the Knicks. On March 5, 2023, New York converted his deal to a 10-day contract, signed him to a second 10-day on March 16, and gave him a standard deal on March 26. He remained with New York until being waived on December 30, 2023.

On January 2, 2024, Jeffries rejoined Westchester. On February 22, he signed a 10-day contract with the Knicks, returned to Westchester on March 3, rejoined New York on another 10-day on March 14, and signed for the rest of the season on March 25. On October 2, 2024, he was signed and traded to the Charlotte Hornets in a blockbuster three-team deal involving Minnesota and New York that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks and brought Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and Keita Bates-Diop to Minnesota. He made 47 appearances including 20 starts for Charlotte in 2024-25, averaging career highs of 6.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. On September 18, 2025, Charlotte waived him. On October 15, 2025, he signed a training camp deal with Sacramento, had his G League rights traded from Westchester to Stockton, and was waived the next day with expectations he would join Stockton. On March 26, 2026, Sacramento signed him to a 10-day contract after injuries struck the roster.

Jeffries is a physically sturdy wing who provides defense, toughness, and spot-up shooting in limited minutes. He is not a high-usage scorer or dynamic playmaker, but he understands his role, competes defensively, and does not make mistakes. His strengths are on-ball defense, transition finishing, and corner three-point shooting in small sample sizes. His weaknesses are his inability to create his own shot, limited playmaking vision, and reliance on defensive schemes that put him in favorable matchups. He has survived in the NBA because teams value emergency wings who can defend, and his familiarity with multiple systems makes him an easy plug-and-play option.

Jeffries' résumé includes a senior season at Tulsa with 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds, third-team All-AAC, the Portsmouth Invitational, an undrafted entry in 2019, a declined two-way offer from Orlando, a release by Orlando, a two-way with Sacramento, a 44-point G League game, a standard contract conversion, 31 games with the Kings, a waiver, a claim by Houston, 13 games with the Rockets, a waiver, a claim by San Antonio, a signing and waiver by Atlanta, G League time with College Park, a 10-day with Memphis, a return to College Park, a training camp deal with New York, G League time with Westchester, a two-way with the Knicks, multiple 10-days, a standard deal with New York, a waiver, rejoining Westchester, more 10-days, a sign-and-trade to Charlotte in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster, 47 appearances and 20 starts with Charlotte, career highs across the board, a waiver, a training camp deal with Sacramento, a return to Stockton, and a 10-day with the Kings in March 2026. His career is a case study in how a non-guaranteed wing can extend an NBA lifespan through constant availability and defensive utility.