Former 1st-round pick gets waived by Pistons
Mar 1, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard R.J. Hampton (14) dribbles in the first half against the Chicago Bulls at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
A former first-round pick has been waived yet again.
The Detroit Pistons on Saturday waived R.J. Hampton, according to a report.
Hampton played 47 games in the NBA last season. He played in 26 games with the Orlando Magic before they waived him in February. The Pistons signed him after that, and he played in 21 games for Detroit.
Altogether, Hampton averaged 6.4 points on 43% shooting last season on 16.0 minutes per game.
Hampton is a well known figure in the basketball world. He was a five-star recruit coming out of high school in the Dallas area. The 22-year-old guard originally was part of the 2020 recruiting class before reclassifying for 2019. Rather than play college ball, Hampton chose to play professionally for the New Zealand Breakers, which had some concerned about the future of college basketball. Those concerns turned out to be unfounded.
Hampton became the No. 24 overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020 but was traded to the Denver Nuggets. Hampton has played for three teams during his NBA career and may now be looking for his fourth franchise.
