The Warriors went into this offseason with one eye already on next summer, but Friday’s wave of rookie extensions made that path a little less inviting.
Golden State had been looking ahead to a potential payday in free agency, with projections pointing to as much as $100 million in cap space next offseason. But a run of new deals around the league has started to chip away at the pool of young, attainable targets the Warriors might have wanted to chase.
The biggest domino came with Ausar Thompson and the Detroit Pistons agreeing to a five-year, $155 million contract. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the 23-year-old now joins twin brother Amen as the first pair of brothers to each land a $100+ million deal in NBA history.
That followed other rookie extensions Friday, including the Utah Jazz’s five-year, $157.5 million agreement with Keyonte George and the Miami Heat’s four-year, $60 million deal with Pelle Larsson.
For Golden State, the message is clear: the restricted free agency market is looking thinner by the day. Along with former No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, those players are no longer in play, and that narrows the list of young names who could have fit a cap-space team’s plans.
There are still some notable names left unsigned, including Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson, Anthony Black and Cason Wallace. The Warriors also still have their own decision to make on Brandin Podziemski, their fourth-year guard, who could be in line for a deal worth around $20 million annually.
That’s where the danger comes in for Golden State. Cap space sounds great until it’s sitting there without enough appealing options to spend on. In that case, a team can wind up paying more than it wants just to bring in outside help and reshape a roster that hasn’t quite delivered.
So the Warriors will have to tread carefully as they sort through free agency and the trade deadline, while also keeping an eye on veteran players with player options who could opt out and hit the market in the summer. For now, those veterans may be Golden State’s best bet, especially as more young players choose to lock in long-term money with the teams they already know.
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