After waiving DaQuan Jeffries, what’s next for the Charlotte Hornets’ roster?
With training camp looming, the Charlotte Hornets are fine-tuning their roster and made a pair of the initial moves on Thursday.
As first reported by The Observer, the team began by waiving DaQuan Jeffries. He was scheduled to earn $2.7 million in 2025-26, but his contract doesn’t become guaranteed until Jan. 10.
Releasing Jeffries gave the Hornets added roster flexibility as they creep toward the start of training camp in Charleston, S.C. on Sept. 30, and they signed free agent forward Keyontae Johnson. Johnson has played previously for the Hornets’ G League affiliate in Greensboro.
Well-liked within the Hornets’ organization, Jefferies averaged 6.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 22.8 minutes during 47 games, making 20 starts in his lone season with Charlotte. The Hornets acquired him along with three second-round picks, Charlie Brown Jr., Duane Washington Jr. and cash considerations in exchange for the draft rights of center James Nnaji as part of a trade in conjunction with the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks. It aided the Knicks’ landing Karl-Anthony Towns.
In making the trade, the Hornets became the first franchise to acquire players using the Room Exception, which is a new rule incorporated into the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 1:26 PM.
