Former Washington Wizards and Golden State Warriors guard Ryan Rollins has been accused of repeatedly shoplifting from Target.
The Wizards on Monday waived the second-year guard, which initially appeared to be a typical roster move from a rebuilding team.
However, Alexandria General District Court documents obtained by The Athletic’s Josh Robbins revealed that Rollins had allegedly shoplifted from a Target store seven times from Sept. 9 to Nov. 9 while still a member of the Wizards. The 21-year-old was charged with seven counts of petit larceny for stealing “small household items such as groceries, body wash and candles.”
Although Rollins’ crimes were allegedly committed months before his release, Wizards president Michael Winger said that the team had “just recently learned” about the charges. Winger declined to confirm if Rollins was waived specifically for the Class 1 misdemeanor.
“We cannot comment on that matter, or the basis for our roster decisions,” Winger told Robbins. “We do take our role very seriously as citizens of the DMV, representatives of our fans, and a team our community can be proud of. These are expectations, not aspirations.”
Rollins came to the Wizards as part of the Jordan Poole trade that sent Chris Paul to the Warriors.
The Toledo alum showed potential during his 2023 Summer League stint with the Wizards. He averaged 14.0 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.3 assists per game in four appearances. He was also in the second year of a team-friendly 3-year contract.
For a Wizards team in the early stages of a rebuild, parting ways with Rollins midseason appears to be a surprising move if not for reasons other than basketball.
Rollins averaged 4.1 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 10 games played this season before being cut by the Wizards. He had played in just 2 of Washington’s last 23 games.
