Magic Ex R.J. Hampton Signs With Rival Heat

R.J. Hampton is signing with the Miami Heat after tenures with the Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 27, 2023

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - R.J. Hampton is back in Florida.

The Miami Heat announced that it has signed Hampton to a two-way contract.

Hampton, 22, joined the Orlando Magic as a rookie two years ago along with Gary Harris in a trade that sent Aaron Gordon to the Denver Nuggets.

Hampton started off strong in his Magic tenure, looking like someone Orlando could work with at the foundation of its rebuild. However, as the Magic began acquiring more talent and players became healthy, Hampton saw a decrease in playing time.

Orlando Magic guard R.J. Hampton against the Oklahoma City Thunder / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Hampton started the season as a guard coming off the bench in Jamahl Mosley's rotation. But once Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony returned from injury in December, Hampton saw many DNPs.

In the past two months, Hampton has played just once for more than five minutes in a game. It came on Jan. 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, when the Magic was without several players due to suspension from the Moe Wagner-Killian Hayes fight against the Detroit Pistons.

Hampton signed with the Pistons in February and played 21 games for them down the stretch, averaging 7.3 points per game.

Now, Hampton is expected to join the Heat just in time for training camp, which begins next week. Hampton's Heat visits the Magic for the first time this season on Dec. 20 at Amway Center. Then, the Heat and Magic plays twice in the new calendar year on Jan. 12 in Miami at the Kaseya Center and on Jan. 21 back in Orlando.

Published Sep 27, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.