The Hawks have agreed to a deal with free agent guard Daeqwon Plowden, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). According to Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link), Plowden is signing an Exhibit 10 contract with Atlanta.
Plowden signed a two-way deal with the Warriors earlier this offseason, but he was recently waived to accommodate the signing of second-round pick Quinten Post.
A 6’6″ swingman, Plowden went undrafted out of Bowling Green in 2022. He spent the 2022/23 season with the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, and played for the Magic’s NBAGL squad, the Osceola Magic, in 2023/24. Last year with Osceola, Plowden averaged 11.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks per game across 33 regular season bouts (nine starts). He posted a shooting line of .471/.390/.769.
Plowden had an impressive Summer League showing with the Warriors in July, averaging 14.6 PPG on .490/.397/.757 shooting in eight outings at the Las Vegas and California Classic events, per RealGM.
The College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, acquired Plowden’s returning rights in a trade with Osceola earlier this month, so in all likelihood, he’ll be waived before the season begins and then report to College Park. If he spends at least 60 days with the Hawks’ affiliate, Plowden will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K.
I thought the Warriors were on to something when they locked Plowden down with one of their 2-way spots.
Unfortunately for the Dubs, I think their loss is Atlanta’s gain. I think Plowden is an NBA regular, and one that is more than capable of being a very solid rotation wing for any contending team.
If you give Plowden 15 minutes a night off the bench, I think you could realistically expect him to give you 6-8 points, a couple rebounds, an assist or two, and I think he can also get after it on the defensive end, getting his team a steal and/or blocking the occasional shot.
Plowden won’t likely get his opportunity right away this season, but he’s a guy I fully expect to take advantage of it when he does get his next shot…
I’d start off by watching his G-League numbers increase significantly this year, and if he can maintain some of his percentages, especially his 3pt% with an increase in volume, I don’t think he’ll be long for the G-League before someone gives him a full-time roster spot.