Golden State Warriors Agree To Rookie Deal With Second-Round Pick
The offseason continues for the Golden State Warriors following their recent victory in the 2022 NBA Finals, as they agreed to terms on a three-year rookie deal with 2022 second-round pick Ryan Rollins on Thursday, first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Originally drafted 44th overall by the Atlanta Hawks, Rollins had his draft rights traded to the Warriors in exchange for the rights to Tyrese Martin, the No. 51 overall selection, and cash considerations.
Spending two years at Toledo, Rollins had a standout sophomore season that caught the attention of many around the NBA. In 34 games this past year, he averaged 18.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and shot 46.8% from the floor.
Standing about 6-foot-4 with a near 6-10 wingspan, Ryan Rollins is a lengthy guard that has a ton of two-way potential. Being able to play on- or off-the-ball, Rollins seems like the perfect kind of guard for the Warriors to mold into what they want next to the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole in the backcourt.
The recent offseason departure of Damion Lee has opened up minutes in the Warriors’ backcourt and with Rollins not signing a two-way deal with the team, it appears as if Golden State could look to utilize him here-and-there throughout his rookie season.
While he was scheduled to play in both the California Classic Summer League and the actual NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada with the Warriors, the team announced on June 29 that Ryan Rollins was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during his on-boarding medical evaluation.
As a result, Rollins did not play in Summer League this offseason for Golden State and since this original update by the team, nothing has been said about the rookie’s health heading towards training camp at some point near the end of September.
One of two draft picks by the Warriors this offseason, the other being first-round pick Patrick Baldwin Jr., Golden State continues to add versatile, high-potential talent to their young core.
