Gui Santos is heading into the season with a bigger spotlight on him than ever, and the Warriors are already acting like they know it.
Golden State has reportedly pushed back against Santos taking part in Brazil’s next two FIBA World Cup qualifiers, leaving him out of the squad for games against the Dominican Republic on August 27 and Mexico on August 31. Brazilian journalist Ze Pereira said the Warriors were not especially willing to release him for the window.
"The relationship between non-star NBA players during FIBA windows is always very complex; there were negotiations for the Brazilian to be available for this match. The GSW ended up not being very open to releasing him," Pereira said (translated from Portuguese).
Santos has been a regular piece for Brazil in recent years, including at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the previous FIBA World Cup. But this would have been his first appearance for the national team since he became a steady NBA contributor, which makes Golden State’s stance notable in its own way.
The timing fits, too. Santos finished last season on a tear, and the Warriors clearly have not forgotten it.
From January 28 on, he averaged 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting nearly 52% from the field over his final 31 games. He started 28 of those 31 games, including both Play-In Tournament matchups against the L.A.
Clippers and Phoenix Suns.
That run came after he signed a three-year, $15 million deal at the end of February, so this is not a player still trying to prove he belongs on the roster. The bigger question now is what his role looks like when the new season opens in October.
There’s real uncertainty there. Even with Jimmy Butler still out, Santos is not guaranteed to stay in the starting five, and the arrival of 11th overall pick Yaxel Lendeborg adds another layer to the frontcourt mix. Still, the reported push to keep Santos with the Warriors rather than Brazil says plenty about how Golden State views him: not as a fringe piece, but as someone it wants available and invested for what comes next.
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