ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Former Washington Wizards guard Ryan Rollins, who was waived by the team Monday night, is accused of repeatedly shoplifting from a Target store, according to documents on file at Alexandria General District Court and obtained by The Athletic.
Police said in court documents that Rollins stole small household items such as groceries, body wash and candles from a Target store on seven different occasions from Sept. 9 to Nov. 9, when he was on the Wizards’ roster. He was charged with seven counts of petit larceny, and the items alleged to have been stolen in each incident were valued at less than $1,000.
Petit larceny of goods worth less than $1,000 from a business is classified as a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia.
A court hearing has been scheduled for early February, and Rollins has yet to enter a plea.
Rollins’ attorney Nathan Muyskens and agent Mike Silverman declined to comment when reached Thursday by The Athletic.
The Wizards waived Rollins, 21, on Monday night after he had played in 10 regular-season games. The reserve guard came to the Wizards as part of a trade package over the summer, 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 2030 first-round pick.
Releasing Rollins, a young player with clear potential on the defensive end, seemed like a curious move for the rebuilding Wizards, who rank last in the NBA in points allowed per possession and may trade veteran players before the upcoming NBA trade deadline on Feb. 8.
“We just recently learned of the charges against Ryan,” Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger told The Athletic. “We cannot comment on that matter, or the basis for our roster decisions.” Winger added: “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. We’re eager to move forward with our team as constituted and pursue excellence on and off the court.”
On Tuesday, using the roster spot created by Rollins’ release, the Wizards signed guard Hamidou Diallo to a 10-day contract.
Rollins’ $1.7 million salary for the 2023-24 season was fully guaranteed, and $600,000 of his 2024-25 salary was fully guaranteed. Now that Rollins has cleared waivers, those salaries, which are miniscule relative to the NBA salary cap, will count against the Wizards’ cap figures in those respective seasons.
Rollins originally went to theWarriors in a draft-night trade after the Atlanta Hawks selected him 44th overall in 2022 out of the University of Toledo. He appeared in 12 regular-season games for the Warriors as a rookie.
(Top photo: Bill Streicher / USA Today)
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