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It was announced recently that the Miami Heat waived 2020 first round pick R.J. Hampton to make room on their roster for the addition of a possible two-way signing:
With the deadline next month for signing two-way players, the Heat are waiving RJ Hampton, opening a two-way roster spot on a roster that also has a vacant standard roster spot. Hampton has been uneven in his recent G League minutes.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) February 9, 2024
Starting his career with the Denver Nuggets, Hampton has yet to emerge into the player he projected to become as a first round pick. While Hampton was selected late in the first round at 24th, he has yet to show any real consistency at the NBA level, which has led to him bouncing around the league.
Hampton's time in Denver was short, playing just 25 games for the Nuggets before being traded to the Orlando Magic as part of the Aaron Gordon trade. Needless to say, this has worked out great for Denver, as Gordon has been a massive piece to their success, including their championship run last season.
Now a free agent, Hampton is looking for a new NBA home after being waived by Miami. Hampton played just 8 games for the Heat this season, averaging 1.3 PPG on 28.6% from the field in 9.5 minutes per contest.
Having just turned 23 years old, perhaps Hampton can land somewhere that gives him an extended opportunity. It's been a tough go for him so far at the NBA level, but he is still very young, and could still develop into a solid player at some point.
More must-reads:
- Lakers get encouraging Luka Doncic injury update
- Hawks move to add big-man depth with Rockets G League standout
- The 'NBA minutes leaders by season' quiz
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Support Pouring in For Heat to Sign Ben Simmons After Latest NBA Trade
With Miami Heat fans hopeful that the franchise would trade for Kevin Durant, the team pulled off two trades this offseason. Unfortunately for the Durant hopefuls, neither of them were for the two-time NBA Finals MVP. Instead, the Heat were able to acquire 32-year-old sharpshooter Norman Powell from the Los Angeles Clippers, who just posted a career-high 21.8 points per game. The latest trade saw Miami trade Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for a protected 2026 second-round pick. While it wasn't necessarily an exciting trade, it was crucial in the sense that it kept them under the first apron hard cap. With the Heat currently at 14 players on the roster, fans online have flirted with the idea of kicking the tires on three-time All-Star, former No. 1 overall pick, Ben Simmons. "Tbh if he would play and stay healthy this would be a clear upgrade outside of shooting," commented one fan. "we can revive his career," said a second. "He gain the confidence he lost and play good defense then I wouldn’t mind the experiment," suggested another. "Yeah, I'd take em. Fits in perfectly. Just need a center," commented one fan. "i would give him a chance," said another. While Heat fans may be hopeful they can revive the career of Simmons, who hasn't played in 50 games since 2020-21, and also hasn't averaged over seven points since that same season, a move doesn't appear to be coming anytime soon. According to Locked on Heat's Wes Goldberg, the Heat aren't currently looking for a 15th player. This adds some mystery to the situation, but clearly, the team is attempting to see what they are working with before filling that final spot.
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's biggest find is ready to take a huge step forward, and it could be huge for Brian Flores' defense
After joint practice on Wednesday between the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots, I was asked by some members of the Patriots beat about just one player. "Who's 61? He's a dude." That player is Jalen Redmond, who has quite the story heading into his second season with the Vikings. He was playing in the UFL in the spring of 2024 with the Arlington Renegades. He was a signing the Vikings made on June 18th, 2024, which came after mandatory minicamp. Redmond was the 90th player on the roster and excelled throughout training camp to earn a roster spot. That ability is showing up once again. Jalen Redmond is taking another step forward The signing of Redmond was a massive win for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his scouting staff, especially Ryan Grigson, who was given a lot of credit for finding him. "I remember he [Grigson] called me and said, 'I like this guy.' I think it was late May," Adofo-Mensah explained. "You have to ask yourself, what's your standard for bringing people in, because a lot of good players are on teams already, so there's going to be something there that's not perfect, not clean, and earlier he had injuries, so you've got to understand why he's available, but ultimately here's why he might be a good bet. "And you saw the flashes for an interior guy with burst, his run defense kind of jumped out to me. That's the other thing, when you've been together for two or three years, and my history with Grigson before, he knows how to communicate with me, makes a cut-up, knows exactly what we look for." You can see the power and explosiveness in Redmond's game. He rarely gets washed out by the offensive line, and often penetrates the backfield with his ability. Where things have gotten really interesting with Redmons is seeing how good he can be from a short and long-term perspective. Last season, Redmond played in 13 games and flashed in a major way. While he went undrafted out of Oklahoma, it wasn't so much due to talent, but a health issue that kept him from being selected. He certainly looks like a player who should have been selected. Over the course of the season, Redmond got one sack and 6.0 tackles for loss to pair with 18 tackles. His ability to be a penetrating force on the line earned him a starting role at the end of the season, with two starts in his first year with the Vikings. Going into year two, Redmond shouldn't be overlooked. He won't be a starter with the additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, but it shouldn't be much of a surprise if he approaches 500 snaps as a rotational player. His teammates believe he's a stud, something that Jonathan Greenard emphasized last week. "Redmond is a dog," said Greenard after Redmond's great practice on Thursday. "Jalen's been a dog since last year in training camp. I knew he was a dog when he got thrown out of practices last year. So I was like, listen, from that day forward, he got thrown out, he came back in just completely, just dominating. And at that point even to see it during the season and see him continuously build. Now I'm like, man, everybody knows, but when you see, obviously, you bring in two guys like JA [Jonathan Allen] and Grave [Javon Hargrave], you kind of think that he gets put in the wayside, making the same place he was last year, if not more. And that just helps us out to know that it's not gonna drop off whenever those guys get a breather or something like that. If I'm coaching, I'm putting him in." Don't sleep on Redmond going into this season, as he's only getting better.
Chicago Bears WR Luther Burden makes massive statement in unexpected way vs. Bills
Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver is still battling for reps with the starting offense. Veteran Olamide Zaccheaus has a strong hold on the WR3 gig, and if Burden wants to catch him, he'll need to impress coaches with more than just his playmaking ability. And boy did he do exactly that during Sunday night's Week 2 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Burden, whose passion for the finer details of football was questioned during the run-up to the 2025 NFL Draft, did the grunt work that not every receiver is fond of: he got his nose dirty in the run game. Check out this incredible block that cleared the way for an Ian Wheeler touchdown run. Believe it or not, that was Burden's second edge-destroying block that resulted in a Bears' score. Here was the first: Of course, the Bears spent the No. 39 overall pick on Luther Burden primarily because of his playmaking skill set. And he put that on display against the Bills' defense, too. Burden totaled three catches for 49 yards in the first half. He looked every bit the part of game-changing wide receiver. Even in the run game.
Steelers' Rookie Defender Receives Strong Stamp Of Approval Following 2nd Preseason Game
The Pittsburgh Steelers are finding out a lot about their young players in the 2025 preseason, but there may be nobody who has surprised as much as rookie defensive end Yahya Black. A fifth-round pick out of Iowa, Black was touted as a stout, plugging run defender with not much else to offer. Through two preseason games, he's poised to prove everyone wrong. Black gained some notoriety in 2025 training camp from batting down passes at the line of scrimmage, something he likely learned from veteran defensive end Cameron Heyward. In his first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, his presence didn't go unnoticed among NFL analysts. While rushing the passer was supposed to be a weakness, Black hasn't shown it so far. Pro Football Focus gave him a pass rush grade of 82.3 in Week 1, logging a pressure, a hurry, and two tackles on only 11 total snaps. In addition, he had a respectable run defense grade of 72.6. Black was PFF's fourth highest graded rookie interior defensive lineman in Week 1 of the preseason. Playing only seven pass-rush snaps, he had an impressive 42.9% pass rush win rate. Brian Baldinger and PFF aren't the only ones taking notice of Black. Bob Labriola of the Steelers' official website, in his recent asked and answered segment, wrote that he believes that Black won't only make the roster, but will be a regular in the defensive line rotation. "With training camp and 1 preseason game under his belt, I believe Yayha Black is on the path to showing enough to be a part of the regular season gameday rotation along the defensive line." Those are certainly strong words towards day three draft pick, but they definitely aren't unwarranted. Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin also had some encouraging remarks for the young lineman following the 2025 NFL Draft, comparing him to a Ford F-350. In a limited sample size, and coming off of a good camp, Black has proven that his supposed weaknesses may have been misguided, and that there's more to him than early scouting reports suggested. There's no longer a question of whether he will make the team, and now the focus moves onto how much he will contribute right away in a crowded defensive line room. If Black can continue to show some pass rush versatility in addition to his already promising run defense, it'll be hard to keep him off of the field. Steelers' Yahya Black Is Dealing With A Concerning Arm Injury While Black got off to an explosive start in his first preseason game, things quieted down on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At least part of his disappearance in Week 2 can be attributed to an arm injury that Black suffered between the two games, prompting him to wear an arm brace that undoubtedly limited mobility. Black's PFF grade in game 2 plummeted to 54.3, with only a 50.5 pass rush grade. These grades are reflected in the box score, where Black played over double the snaps from the previous week and failed to record a single stat. Nonetheless, Black is looking to build on his promising start in the final week of the 2025 preseason, when the Steelers travel to Charlotte to take on the Carolina Panthers. Will Black continue to build on his promising first performance, over a week removed from injury, and make his case for the starting defensive line rotation? The Steelers certainly hope so.
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