Former Golden State Warriors' guard earns NBA lifeline with championship contender

Former Golden State Warriors' guard Ryan Rollins has received an NBA lifeline, with the 21-year-old signing with the Milwaukee Bucks after being waived by the Washington Wizards earlier this season.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Rollins has signed a two-way contract with the 2021 NBA champions, meaning the former second-round pick will likely spend plenty of time with the franchise's G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

Less than nine months after being traded by the Golden State Warriors, Ryan Rollins has found his next opportunity at the Milwaukee Bucks

After playing two years of college basketball at Toledo, Rollins was drafted 44th overall by the Warriors in the 2022 NBA Draft. He would spend most of his rookie year with Santa Cruz, featuring in only 12 games for Golden State where he averaged 1.9 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.5 assists in 5.2 minutes per game.

Rollins' rookie season was cut short in February last year due to a foot fracture, before the 6'3" guard was shipped off to the Washington Wizards as part of the Jordan Poole-for-Chris Paul trade in June.

Rollins played just 10 games for the Wizards before being waived in early January, with reports shortly after that the young guard had been accused of shoplifting on multiple occasions.

While Washington President Michael Winger didn't confirm a direct link between the shoplifting accusations and the franchise's decision to waive him, it was clear Rollins' NBA career was in serious jeopardy.

Now, Rollins gets another chance to prove his worth, and this time at a franchise in genuine championship contention. Whether he can break through for playing opportunity is a different story altogether, with plenty of hard work ahead for Rollins to develop into an NBA player.

The Warriors' other 2022 Draft selection, Patrick Baldwin Jr., has been limited to just 17 games with the Wizards after he too was included in the franchise's blockbuster offseason trade.