Kings Sign Familiar Face to 10-Day Hardship Contract

After a rash of injuries, the Sacramento Kings are bringing in some extra help to get through the rest of the season, or at least the next ten days. They are signing guard DaQuan Jeffries to a 10-day hardship contract, bringing in the former Kings player who is familiar with Sacramento and Doug Christie.

The Sacramento Kings have signed guard DaQuan Jeffries to a hardship 10 Day contract, a league source told @spotrac.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 26, 2026

The signing follows the unfortunate injury update for Russell Westbrook from yesterday, as the future hall of famer is set to miss more time with a foot injury. With Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, De'Andre Hunter, and Drew Eubanks all out for the season, the Kings were already short on players. And then add in the day-to-day injuries like Westbrook, and the roster looks thinner than a piece of paper.

The Kings have nine players listed on the injury report for today's matchup against the Orlando Magic. Even for a team that's not trying to win, that's just not sustainable for a long stretch of games. Luckily for the Kings, the NBA has a way to get around the injuries with the 10-day hardship contract. With more than four players missing three or more games, they are able to open up another roster spot for Jeffries.

Return to the NBA

Apr 8, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard DaQuan Jeffries (3) looks to pass while defended by Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) during the first half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Jeffries hasn't played in the NBA this season, having last suited up for the Charlotte Hornets in the 2024-25 season. He averaged 6.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists on 40.5% from the field and 33.5% from three. He played in just 47 games, but did start 20 of them.

The numbers may not jump off the page, but they show that Jeffries is a more than serviceable NBA player for what the Kings need at this point in the season. Similar to Daeqwon Plowden, Jeffries is a bit of an undersized wing, but plays bigger than his 6-foot-5 height. With a huge 6-foot-11 wingspan, he's able to play up and guard taller players. It's just a short stint, but Jeffries does bring what the Kings need with so many players out.

Return to the Kings

Jeffries played for the Kings in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, before he was waived by the Kings and claimed by the Houston Rockets. In 31 games with Sacramento, two of which were starts, he averaged 3.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists on 45.4% from the field and 30.4% from three.

There was some hope that he could blossom into a three-and-D role player next to De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, but the Kings had a roster full of guards with no room for Jeffries.

There should be some familiarity to help Jeffries get acclimated and ready to play right away. Not only does he know the facilities already, but Doug Christie was an assistant coach under Luke Walton at the time, and is likely very familiar with Jeffries game. In a situation like this where he could very well get prominent minutes as soon as today, that is a huge head start compared to signing with a new team.

At the very least, this gives us something new to watch for in the Kings' games as they wind down the season.