Daeqwon Plowden

Magic Waive Mac McClung, Two Others

The Magic have removed three players from their roster ahead of the regular season, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, who reports (via Twitter) that the club has waived guards Mac McClung and Brandon Williams, as well as swingman Daeqwon Plowden.

McClung, Williams, and Plowden were all on Exhibit 10 contracts. The hope is that all three players will join the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate, according to Beede. Osceola has made trades this offseason to acquire the returning rights for each of them.

McClung has only appeared in four NBA games, but starred at All-Star Weekend last season, winning the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest, and had a big year in the G League. The 24-year-old appeared in 31 NBAGL regular season games for the Delaware Blue Coats – Philadelphia’s affiliate – and averaged 19.8 points, 4.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in just 26.8 minutes per game. He posted an impressive .550/.474/.823 shooting line during the G League regular season and helped lead the Blue Coats to a title.

Williams has 24 games of NBA experience under his belt, but spent last season with the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s NBAGL team. Plowden spent his first professional season in 2022/23 playing for New Orleans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron.

The Magic also formally confirmed in a press release that they’ve converted Trevelin Queen to a two-way contract, as previously reported. Their roster is now set for the regular season, with 15 players on standard deals and three on two-way pacts.

Magic Sign Daeqwon Plowden, Waive Miye Oni

The Magic continue to move players in and out of their back-end roster spots, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed wing Daeqwon Plowden and waived swingman Miye Oni.

After going undrafted out of Bowling Green in 2022, Plowden spent his first professional season playing for New Orleans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron. In 42 total regular season and Showcase Cup games with the Squadron, he averaged 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 22.0 minutes per night, posting a shooting line of .415/.333/.755.

The Osceola Magic – Orlando’s NBAGL team – acquired Plowden’s returning rights from the Squadron last month.

Based on that trade and today’s announcement, it sounds like the 25-year-old signed an Exhibit 10 contract and will be waived before the regular season begins. He’d then be in line to receive an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $75K – in addition to his base G League salary – if he spends at least 60 days with Osceola.

That’s also believed to be the plan for Oni, who spent less than a week on Orlando’s roster after signing last Friday.

Pelicans Waive Cheatham, Martin, Plowden, Smart

The Pelicans announced that they have waived Zylan Cheatham, Kelan Martin, Daeqwon Plowden and Javonte Smart. All four players are likely headed to the team’s G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron.

Martin, a 6’5″ small forward, holds the most NBA experience of the group, having made 96 appearances with the Wolves, Pacers and Celtics over the past three seasons. He holds career averages of 5.5 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 13.2 MPG.

After going undrafted out of LSU last year, Smart, a 6’4″ guard, appeared in 17 NBA games on two-way deals with the Bucks and Heat in 2021/22. He holds modest averages of 3.0 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 11.8 MPG.

Cheatham holds five games of NBA experience with the Jazz and Pelicans after going undrafted in 2019. The 6’5″ forward averaged 14 PPG, 10.7 RPG and 2.5 APG in 21 regular season games (32 MPG) for the Squadron last season.

Plowden is a 6’6″ undrafted rookie wing out of Bowling Green State. He spent Summer League with the Pelicans, averaging 12.0 PPG on .647/.500/.909 shooting in three games (16.1 MPG).

Both Cheatham and Plowden received Exhibit 10 deals, and Martin and Smart likely did as well. Assuming that’s the case, all four players would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with the Squadron.

The Pelicans now have a 15-man standard roster, with one two-way spot still open. Undrafted rookie guard Dereon Seabron currently holds the other two-way contract.

Pelicans Sign Daeqwon Plowden To Exhibit 10 Deal

SEPTEMBER 9: The Pelicans have officially signed Plowden to an Exhibit 10 contract, Hoops Rumors has learned.


JULY 19: After playing for the Pelicans‘ Summer League team, undrafted rookie swingman Daeqwon Plowden will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with New Orleans, sources tell Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Plowden, who spent all five years of his college career at Bowling Green State, averaged 15.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 1.2 BPG on .414/.356/.792 shooting in 31 games (30.6 MPG) in 2021/22. The 23-year-old received All-MAC honors in each of his last three seasons and made this year’s All-MAC Defensive Team.

Plowden didn’t play a major role for New Orleans’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, averaging just 16.1 minutes per game in three appearances. But he made the most of his limited minutes, averaging 12.0 PPG on .647/.500/.909 shooting.

An Exhibit 10 deal is non-guaranteed and worth the minimum, but it could put Plowden on track to receive a $50K bonus if he’s waived before the regular season and then joins the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G League affiliate.

Plowden’s Exhibit 10 contract could also be converted into a two-way deal if he impresses in training camp. The Pels have reportedly committed one two-way slot to Dereon Seabron, but their other slot remains open for now.

Draft Workout Notes: Kings, Wizards, Wolves, Jazz, More

The Kings hosted several prospects for pre-draft workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday, the team announced (Twitter links).

The Tuesday group featured Trey McGowens, Ziga Samar, Ron Harper Jr., Brady Manek and Dallas Walton. Wednesday’s group was Jacob Gilyard, Fatts Russell, Yoan Makoundou, Karlo Matkovic, Yannick Nzosa and Kai Sotto.

The Kings control the fourth, 37th and 49th picks in the 2022 draft, and a handful of those players could be targets with one of those second-round picks. Nzosa, Samar, Harper and Matkovic are ranked between 53rd and 58th on ESPN’s big board.

Here are more workout-related notes from around the NBA: