R.J. Hampton didn’t work out in Orlando, but the Detroit Pistons are willing to give him a look for the rest of this season.
Hampton had fallen out of the Magic rotation this season, they did not pick up the option on his rookie contract for next season (never a good sign), and after the trade deadline they bought him out. Now the Pistons are willing to roll the dice on him, a story broken by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and confirmed by James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. However, the best confirmation came from Hampton himself.
— RJ (@RjHampton14) February 21, 2023
Hampton appeared in 26 games for the Magic averaging 5.7 points and 1.5 rebounds a game, shooting 34% from 3. He also spent time in the G-League with the Lakeland Magic, where he could get more run.
Even with Cade Cunningham out for the season, the Pistons are deep at the guard spot with Jaden Ivey, Alec Burks, Killian Hayes and Cory Joseph. The Pistons can use the rest of this season — where they are deep in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes — to get a look at Hampton in practice and spot minutes off the bench and see if he can be part of what they are building going forward.
Hampton will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
