The Orlando Magic signed DaQuan Jeffries to their training camp roster. He is a player who could break through and earn one of the team’s open roster spots.
It was already clear what the Orlando Magic needed to get out of their Summer League roster and the one guy who had pushed himself into consideration to make the roster. But DaQuan Jeffries sure seemed to make sure there was no doubt.
In the Orlando Magic’s final Summer League game against the Chicago Bulls, Jeffries stepped in front of a pass and had only one man in front of him. That did not matter, Jeffries rose and cocked his right arm back to throw down one of the biggest dunks of the Summer League.
That cemented Jeffries getting a spot somewhere. It was clear after his Summer League performance that he needed to be in a camp somewhere — preferably with the Magic.
Jeffries will indeed get his chance at camp.
The Magic announced they had signed Jeffries to a contract that will have him in a Magic uniform. They also announced they had signed Amile Jefferson to a two-way contract and signed another solid Summer League standout in Vic Law to a training camp contract.
Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports Jeffries and Law both signed Exhibit 10 contracts. That means they will be with the team for training camp and likely cut so they can be placed on the Magic’s G-League affiliate with the Lakeland Magic.
The Magic have signed DaQuan Jeffries and Vic Law to Exhibit 10 contracts. In addition, Amile Jefferson has signed his two-way contract with the Magic.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) July 30, 2019
Previous reporting suggested that the Magic were struggling to bring Jeffries into camp. David Baumann of 407Area.com reported Jeffries turned down an offer for a two-way contract, opting to keep his NBA options open and try to win a spot on the team in camp.
There is a spot for Jeffries on the Magic roster at the moment. Orlando has two roster spots open — with one presumably reserved for unsigned rookie Chuma Okeke.
Jeffries was truly impressive at Summer League, averaging 13.2 points per game and shooting 42 percent from the floor. He proved himself an athletic player able to get to the basket and a capable 3-point shooter. His defense was solid and he stood out on the Magic’s Summer League roster.
In many estimations, he was one of the best players that went undrafted in the last draft.
His time with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane was encouraging too. He played his last year with Tulsa averaging 13.0 points per game and shooting 36.6 percent from beyond the arc. He is someone who is still developing as a shooter, but his showing at Summer League was especially encouraging.
With Chuma Okeke still unsigned, it is looking more and more like the Magic are planning to park their first round pick in the G-League for the year rather than bring him into the roster and use a roster spot on him. It feels like Jeffries has a chance to earn his way onto the Magic’s roster.
Orlando is working to finalize its camp roster before September. Especially with four key players spending early September in China with the FIBA World Cup, the team could use some extra bodies for pre-camp pick-up runs and workouts. Each NBA team can carry up to 20 players for training camp.
That is likely where a player like Law, who averaged 5.7 points per game and shot 47 percent in three games. He is a solid shooter and a good defender when he is healthy. He will be a good player for Lakeland, who is looking to have a solidly stacked roster now.
The Magic also reportedly will sign Isaac Humphries to an Exhibit 10 contract before camp begins too.
This is all to round out the roster. But no player without a guaranteed contract will interest more than Jeffries.
There is clearly something there for NBA teams to like. And the Magic like him enough to bring him in again and have him with Lakeland at a bare minimum.
With the Magic’s current open roster spot, they have a chance to do a bit more with him. That is part of the bet he likely made in refusing a two-way contract. He could show off in the G-League and sign with any team or make the Magic roster outright.