Not too many young former Golden State Warriors players have gone on to make the franchise regret giving up on them, but Ryan Rollins is certainly one that's coming back to quietly haunt the team nearly three years on.
The Warriors essentially tossed Rollins aside in the Jordan Poole trade nearly three years ago, yet has now become the biggest source of regret from that deal after breaking out with the Milwaukee Bucks this season.
Warriors are quietly missing Ryan Rollins more than they know
Rollins jumped from 6.2 points to 17.3 points per game, briefly entering Most Improved discussions earlier in the season. That leap emerged while also shooting an efficient 47.2% from the floor and 40.6% from 3-point range, while also adding 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
The biggest issue for Golden State is the fact they desperately need a Rollins-type player to help alleviate the burden on Stephen Curry, something Tim Kawakami recently outlined on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast.
“But yeah, Ryan Rollins would be incredible for them. Not exactly a 0.5 second guy, but man, that guy can go downhill. He can go downhill and he can get to the bucket," Kawakami said. "Who did they have who could get to the bucket this year? It's just, that's the NBA. Get to the bucket or make the defense stop you from getting the bucket and kick out."
Rollins' ability to get downhill was never more on display than an early-season game against the Warriors where led the Bucks to victory despite the absence of 2x MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The young guard had 32 points and eight assists on 13-of-21 shooting from the floor, having consistently attacked a porous Golden State defense while also nailing five threes.
Ryan Rollins' contract makes him a bargain
In fairness to Golden State, Rollins also had to go through his on and off-court struggles at the Washington Wizards before finding a home and developing into a bonafide NBA player in Milwaukee.
After playing only 12 games with the Warriors and 23 with the Wizards, Rollins initially signed a two-way contract with the Bucks. That paved the way for Milwaukee to get him on an incredibly team-friendly deal on his next contract, having just completed the first of a three-year, $12 million contract.
That gives the Bucks flexibility with what they do next. Rollins is young enough to be part of their rebuild if an Antetokounmpo trade takes place in the next six weeks, could be a key piece to continue building around their franchise superstar, or could be traded himself to acquire more future assets.
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