8 Difference-making players the Chicago Bulls signed past their prime

3. Richard Hamilton (2011)

A couple of months into the 2011-12 NBA season, Richard Hamilton and the Detroit Pistons agreed to a contract buyout. After nine seasons with the Pistons, Hamilton was looking to enter a new chapter of his career. Perhaps hoping to find some rejuvenation, Hamilton signed with the Chicago Bulls after he cleared waivers.

While Hamilton was productive when he was healthy, those days were far and few in between during his stint in Chicago. In the 28 games he played for the Bulls during that first season in Chicago, Hamilton averaged 12 points and three assists on 45 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent shooting from 3-point range.

When Hamilton signed, I don’t believe Chicago thought they were getting an All-Star-level scorer but it was clear that he was well past his prime. Interestingly enough, Hamilton started nearly every game that he was able to play for the Bulls.

Unfortunately, because of injuries, that ended up only being 78 total games in the two seasons he was with Chicago. After initially signing a three-year deal with the Bulls, Chicago declined the team option for the third year. Hamilton never played in another NBA game and officially retired from the NBA in 2015.