ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Former Washington Wizards guard Ryan Rollins, who was released by the team Monday night, is accused of repeated shoplifting at a Target store, according to documents filed in Alexandria General District Court and obtained by The Athletic became.
Police said in court documents that Rollins stole small household items such as food, body wash and candles from a Target store on seven separate occasions from Sept. 9 to Nov. 9, when he was on the Wizards' roster. He was charged with seven counts of petty theft, with the items allegedly stolen in each incident valued at less than $1,000.
Petty theft of merchandise valued at less than $1,000 from a business is classified as a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia.
A trial is scheduled for early February, and Rollins has not yet entered a plea.
Rollins' attorney Nathan Muyskens and agent Mike Silverman declined to comment when reached by The Athletic on Thursday.
The Wizards waived the 21-year-old Rollins on Monday night after he played in 10 regular-season games. The reserve guard came to the Wizards over the summer as part of a trade package, with Washington trading Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors and receiving Jordan Poole, Rollins, Patrick Baldwin Jr., a 2027 second pick and a top-20 protected first-round pick 2030.
Firing Rollins, a young player with clear potential on defense, seemed like a curious move for the rebuilding Wizards, who rank last in the NBA in points allowed per possession and possibly ahead of the upcoming one NBA trade deadline on February 8th trade experienced players.
“We only recently learned of the charges against Ryan,” Michael Winger, president of Monumental Basketball, told The Athletic. “We cannot comment on this matter or the basis of our roster decisions.” Winger added, “We take our role as citizens of the DMV, as representatives of our fans and as a team our community can be proud of very seriously.” These are expectations, not aspirations. We are committed to moving forward with the composition of our team and striving for excellence on and off the pitch.”
On Tuesday, the Wizards signed guard Hamidou Diallo to a 10-day contract, using the roster space created by Rollins' release.
Rollins' $1.7 million salary for the 2023–24 season was fully guaranteed, and $600,000 of his salary for the 2024–25 season was fully guaranteed. Now that Rollins has cleared waivers, those salaries, which are minuscule compared to the NBA salary cap, will count toward the Wizards' caps in those respective seasons.
Rollins originally went to the Warriors in a draft-night trade after the Atlanta Hawks selected him 44th overall in 2022 out of the University of Toledo. As a rookie, he played twelve regular season games for the Warriors.
(Top photo: Bill Streicher / USA Today)