Magic Waive Former First-Round Pick RJ Hampton
The Magic announced they waived guard RJ Hampton.
Hampton was initially the No. 24 pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the Nuggets after he played for the New Zealand Breakers instead of attending college. Hampton played in 25 games for Denver in his rookie season before the Nuggets traded him to Orlando as part of the Aaron Gordon trade in ’21.
In the second half of his rookie season, Hampton averaged over 11 points in 25 minutes per game for the Magic. Last year, he played in 64 total games for Orlando, starting 14 and averaging 7.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
However, this year, Hampton has just appeared in 26 games for a career low 13.9 minutes per game with the Magic.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Hampton is expected to sign with the Pistons once he clears waivers.
Orlando currently has a record of 24–35, and are currently at No. 13 in the Eastern Conference, but are 19–15 in their last 34 games after starting the season with a 5–20 record.
