NBA Preseason: Forgotten former Warriors still trying to solidify their career

Following the lone game between the Golden State Warriors and L.A Clippers on Saturday, the NBA preseason schedule was more alive on Sunday with five games around the association.

One of those games featured two former Warrior players, with the Washington Wizards falling 125-98 to the Toronto Raptors at Bell Center in Montreal. While the final score wasn't ideal from a Wizards perspective, they could take encouragement from Jordan Poole's performance as the team's starting point guard.

Poole is expected to have the keys to the Washington offense in a role many forecast following his departure from Golden State last year. However, Tyus Jones was the Wizards starting point guard for the majority of last season, with the numbers suggesting that his presence contributed to Poole's disappointing start to his tenure in Washington.

The 2022 NBA champion made a bright start in his new role, recording 16 points and six assists in nearly 22 minutes while shooting 5-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-5 from three-point range, and not recording a single turnover.

A pair of former Warriors are still trying to solidify their NBA career

Involved in the same trade that sent Poole to Washington, former Warrior first-round pick Patrick Baldwin Jr. is still trying to push his NBA credentials entering his third season in the league. After showing promising signs in 31 games during his rookie season with the Warriors, Baldwin was limited for opportunity despite the Wizards rebuilding nature in 2023-24. He appeared in only 38 games, of which 26 saw him play less than 15 minutes.

The 6'9" forward saw nearly 14 minutes in Washington's preseason opener, recording three points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks while shooting 1-of-4 from the field and missing both of his three-point attempts.

Also taken by Golden State in the 2022 NBA Draft, young guard Ryan Rollins is still trying to resuscitate his career after being waived by the Wizards last season. The 22-year-old remains on a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, with Rollins finishing with three points, four rebounds and an assist in his team's 120-87 defeat to the Detroit Pistons.

Former Warrior Dario Saric made his second appearance in a Denver Nuggets jersey during their 130-104 defeat to the Boston Celtics in Abu Dhabi. The 6'10" big man had 11 points, five rebounds and two assists on 4-of-6 shooting in nearly 12 minutes off the bench.

The night finished with a 118-114 victory for the Phoenix Suns over the Los Angeles Lakers, with 2x Finals MVP Kevin Durant finishing with six points, and 2022 NBA champion Damion Lee recording 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting as he makes his return from a long injury lay-off.