SAN FRANCISCO — Neither owns a championship like Jordan Poole. Neither averaged 20 points per game, lit it up in the playoffs, nor got embroiled in national news like Poole. Their names weren’t included in initial reports, and essentially became footnotes once last summer’s trade got finalized.
But Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins, like Poole, returned to the Chase Center for the first time since the Warriors sent them to the Wizards for Chris Paul in a franchise-shifting move. Each learned, a year into their NBA careers, the lesson so many players learn: what it’s like to get traded.
“I knew before I even got traded that this is a business,” Rollins told this news organization from his visitor’s locker. “It just confirmed that for me.”
Both Rollins and Baldwin Jr. got recalled from the G-League ahead of Friday’s Warriors-Wizards tilt. The 21-year-olds haven’t been in Washington’s regular rotation, but had the fortune of returning to their old arena anyway.
Golden State traded Poole on June 22, giving up on the promising guard while in the same breath doubling down on their veteran core. Poole was pivotal in the 2022 playoffs, helping the Warriors to their fourth title, but struggled the next season — a season that began by getting punched by teammate Draymond Green in the face during training camp.
The Warriors also sent a heavily protected future first round pick, a 2027 second rounder and cash considerations to Washington. Rollins found out he was included in the Poole-Paul swap from his agent, he said.
“It caught me off guard, for sure,” Rollins, who has played eight games as a Wizard, said.
The guard spent most of his rookie year as a Warriors with the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors, so he never made the trip to play the Wizards. He initially thought the Wizards play in Washington State, not the nation’s capital, and was relieved to discover his mistake.
Both Rollins and Baldwin Jr. were excited to see their former coaches and staff members. Rollins added that it was nice to catch up with Chase Center ushers and chapel employees.
Baldwin Jr. singled out Golden State assistant coach Kris Weems, who is tight with Baldwin’s father.
“He was imperative last year with my development, pretty much my day-to-day around the program,” Baldwin Jr. said of Weems. “So talked to him a lot, he just got bumped up to the front of the bench, so it was good to see him. Talked about him and his family.”
Baldwin Jr. also caught up with Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski, who played AAU ball with him growing up outside of Milwaukee.
With the Wizards, Baldwin Jr. has only appeared in seven games. Despite the Wizards’ miserable record, their front court — Kyle Kuzma, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert, Bilal Coulibaly and Danilo Gallinari — will be tough for Baldwin Jr. to crack.
Baldwin Jr. and Rollins are both optimistic their times will come, though. They didn’t get to do it with the team that drafted them.
“I just took it as a new opportunity,” Baldwin Jr. said of getting traded. “There was no point in dwelling on the past. While I appreciated my time here, I knew I had a new chapter I had to turn and get ready for. I think getting traded your first time is always tough. But I have great people in my corner to calm me down and make the best of any situation. So I think I took it well.”