Washington Wizards: Top 10 players since the year 2000

4. Richard Hamilton 2000-02

Career stats with Washington Wizards:  212 GP, 15.6 PPG, 28.8 MPG, 43.3 FG%

Richard “Rip” Hamilton began his career with the Washington Wizards and it set the pace for his future. Drafted by the Washington Wizards as the seventh pick overall during the 1999 NBA Draft, he lived up to a top-10 pick’s expectations.

Through the first three years of his career and as a part of the Wizards newly named franchise, he found success early in his career. However, his three-year tenure was cut short through part of a trade to acquire Jerry Stackhouse, and this proved to be unfavorable for the Wizards.

Hamilton would go on to play nine seasons with the Detroit Pistons and was voted an All-Star for three consecutive years from 2005-07.

Aside from being a remarkably accurate shooter with career marks of 44.9 from the field and 34.6 percent from long range, he also was a part of the championship-winning Pistons in 2004.

The Wizards’ history over the past 18 years may have been very different if they had found a way to hold on to Hamilton a while longer.