The Warriors may be staring at the kind of problem they’d gladly take: Brandin Podziemski playing so well this season that his next contract gets expensive fast.
Golden State’s hope for major cap space could push the team away from extending Podziemski this offseason, but that decision could look short-sighted if the young guard puts together the breakout year the Warriors need. Podziemski is heading into a season with plenty of runway to boost his value and reach restricted free agency with real leverage.
Right now, plenty of fans and analysts would laugh off the idea of Podziemski landing more than $20 million per year. Some projections have him closer to the three-year, $37.5 million deal Moses Moody signed a couple of years ago. A salary below $15 million annually would be hard for Podziemski to accept, while Golden State would also be wise not to go much higher than that too soon.
But there’s another path here. If Podziemski takes off, the conversation changes quickly.
He averaged 17.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists after the All-Star break last season, and that kind of production over a full year would give him a case for a deal in the $25-30 million range. That sounds like a long shot, but it’s not impossible.
The setup is there for him to make that jump. Jimmy Butler is still likely to miss half the season while recovering from his torn ACL, and Golden State’s veteran-heavy rotation figures to include plenty of rest nights.
That should open the door for Podziemski to pile up numbers if he’s ready for it. If he sustains that level across the season and the Warriors surprise by climbing into the top six, he could build a legitimate argument for $25 million-plus annually on his next contract.
That kind of rise would leave the Warriors with a tougher cap decision than they’d probably prefer. Instead of planning around a number under $20 million or even considering letting the former 19th overall pick walk for more flexibility, they could end up having to devote a much larger slice of their payroll to him.
And that would be the kind of headache Golden State needs. After an offseason that didn’t bring in any major additions and kept the roster largely intact, the Warriors are leaning heavily on internal improvement to get back to the playoffs. Podziemski is one of the key young players they need to develop, alongside 11th overall pick Yaxel Lendeborg and forward Gui Santos.
Even if it complicates restricted free agency next year, a real Podziemski leap would be a welcome development for a team that needs one. His growth hasn’t shown up consistently since his rookie year, but Golden State would take the problem in a heartbeat if it means he finally becomes the player they’ve been waiting for.
In Other News...
Warriors Add Draymond Insurance With One Big Question Still Looming
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Niang brings a profile the Warriors have liked in the past, since he can space the floor and fit around higher-usage creators, but the bigger picture is still about how stable the front line looks when Green needs support. Golden State has addressed the depth chart with this move, yet the more important question is whether Niang can provide the kind of available, reliable minutes the team is counting on after losing a full season to injury. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Just Made Dalen Terrys Roster Path A Lot Murkier
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With no open roster spots and no two-way contracts available, Terrys situation is now pretty murky from Golden States point of view. If he is going to land with the Warriors, the route would have to open somewhere else first, and for now that leaves him weighing other opportunities while the G League remains a possible fallback. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Opening Night Rotation Suddenly Looks Far More Fragile
The Warriors finished filling out their roster by signing Brandon Williams and Georges Niang, bringing the team to what is expected to be its opening-night group. With one two-way spot still available, Golden State now has a clearer picture of how it will line up once the season begins, even if the overall construction still feels a little thin around the edges.
What makes the depth chart feel more precarious is the health situation already hanging over it. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are both set to miss the start of the season, and their absence immediately puts more pressure on the rest of the roster to absorb minutes and scoring early on. For a team that has spent the offseason trying to shore up its margins, the first few weeks could say a lot about how sturdy this version of the Warriors really is. [Read more 🡒]