Brandin Podziemski has his future in place, and the Warriors no longer have to sweat the clock. The guard agreed to a five-year, $110 million rookie-scale extension, according to Shams Charania, locking in a fully guaranteed deal that also includes a mutual option in the fifth season and a trade kicker.
For Golden State, the timing matters as much as the money. The agreement clears up any lingering uncertainty ahead of the Oct. 19 extension deadline and prevents Podziemski from heading toward restricted free agency next summer. It also rewards a player who gave the Warriors a steady, durable season, averaging 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists while appearing in all 82 games and leading the team in minutes played.
Across the league, Egor Demin is already trying to define his role with a simple message: do whatever helps the Nets win. Demin said he wants to contribute in any way he can, whether that means running the offense or working away from the ball.
“I’m a winner, so I want to win as much as I can,” Demin said, via Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “If that means for me to have 25 assists and five points, or whatever that means for me, I want to win first.”
He even used LeBron James as a model for the kind of flexibility he wants to bring.
“You look at LeBron, he can play from 1-through-5,” Demin said.
Nets coach Jordi Fernández has seen enough already to notice the progress.
“You just can see how much he’s improved already from last year,” Fernández said. “His voice is growing, so it’s very important.”
In Cleveland, Peyton Watson gave the Cavaliers an early look at why they were so eager to bring him in. In the preseason opener against Boston, Watson put up seven points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 17 first-half minutes.
Kenny Atkinson made it clear the Cavs do not view Watson as a player who should be parked on the wing and left there. Atkinson said he wants to see him operating in the short roll, attacking in transition, cutting, crashing the offensive glass and helping on the boards.
“He’s a dynamic player,” Atkinson said. “I want to see him in the short roll. I want to see him not just floating on the perimeter.”
Atkinson added, “He’s an active offensive player,” Atkinson said. “He’s not just a spot-up guy.”
That kind of versatility is a big reason Watson has already turned heads in Cleveland.
In Other News...
Cavaliers Sweep Exposed A Bigger Problem Than James Harden
The Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals exit did more than end a season, it put a harsh spotlight on how fragile the margin can be when the shots stop falling and the mistakes pile up. Cleveland was swept by New York, and the series quickly turned into a lesson in how poor shooting, turnovers and uneven defense can overwhelm a team that looked dangerous only moments earlier. Even with talent spread across the roster, the issues that surfaced against the Knicks were bigger than any one player.
James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley all found themselves part of the same larger problem, as Cleveland struggled to match New Yorks physicality and consistency on both ends. The roster still has to answer real questions about how it is built, especially after recent moves aimed at bolstering perimeter defense, and this postseason made clear that the fixes need to show up fast. [Read more 🡒]
Which Cavs Player Really Defined No. 13 In Franchise History
The No. 13 jersey has had a surprisingly sturdy run in Cleveland, with a few different Cavaliers leaving their mark while wearing it. Johnny Moore brought veteran steadiness, John Amaechi had a brief but memorable stop, and Delonte West gave the number another familiar face during a competitive stretch for the franchise. Each left a different kind of footprint, which is part of what makes this number more than just a footnote in team history.
Tristan Thompson, though, is the name that keeps pulling the conversation back to the present era. His long run in Cleveland gave No. 13 a much more durable identity than most of the others who wore it, and his place among the franchises statistical leaders only reinforces how visible he was in that uniform. For a number that has already been tied to several distinct eras, the real question now is whether it eventually gets treated as worthy of a permanent place in Cavaliers lore. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Have A Defensive Problem That Could Haunt Them All Season
Clevelands early-season defensive picture got a little murkier with Dean Wade set to miss the opener, because his value has always been tied less to scoring than to the kind of matchup flexibility that lets a staff breathe easier on the back end. He gave the Cavaliers a steady answer against bigger wings and forwards, the sort of assignment that can tilt a night when the opponent leans on size and skill at the same time.
The problem is the league keeps asking more from that spot, with forwards getting stronger across the NBA and more capable of punishing mismatches if a team is one body short. Cleveland brought in Peyton Watson, but his game projects more naturally onto perimeter matchups than onto the leagues most physical forwards, which leaves the Cavaliers staring at a defensive question they may have to solve on the fly before the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]