The Golden State Warriors have signed Brandin Podziemski to a five-year, $110 million contract extension on Saturday, giving the 23-year-old the kind of deal that would suggest he's the long-term starting shooting guard for the franchise going forward.
As much as he would be happy for his young teammate, Podziemski's extension deals a blow to De'Anthony Melton who now faces an uncertain future after signing essentially one-year contracts with the franchise in each of the past three offseasons.
De'Anthony Melton's hope for Warriors pay day takes a hit
Melton is still looking for his own major pay day after injuries have decimated those hopes to this point. His highest salary remains the one-year, $12.8 million deal he signed initially with Golden State in the 2024 offseason, only to suffer a devastating torn ACL injury just six games into the season.
The 28-year-old returned on a minimum contract last season and was productive, but a combination of thumb injuries, and increased offensive responsibility that didn't particular suit him, saw a lack of inefficiency and overall impact late in the piece. Instead of getting a multi-year deal at over $10 million annually in free agency, Melton had to settle for a two-year, $12.4 million contract that comes with another player option.
The veteran guard will be aiming to have a great season that allows him to opt out of the player option and secure a bigger deal in free agency. The problem with that is Podziemski's new extension means that's more unlikely to happen with the Warriors.
Golden State will now be paying Stephen Curry and Podziemski a combined nearly $75 million in the 2027-28 season. Will they really want to have a good but not great three-guard combination making $90 million should Melton command $12-15 million annually on his next deal? The answer to that is likely no based purely on roster balance, but of course it will be determined on how this season unfolds.
De'Anthony Melton appears destined for reserve role
In the short-term, Podziemski's extension might prevent Melton from actually playing enough and having the necessary impact to command $12-15 million next offseason. The fourth-year guard has already seemingly won the starting shooting guard role over Melton, and this extension just further solidifies their respective spots in the pecking order when it comes to the guard rotation.
With Curry and Podziemski locked in as starters, and Brandon Williams providing a spark that could see him play significant minutes off the bench, Melton may only be a 15-20 minute per game player rather than garnering 25-30 minutes. That will make it difficult for him to increase his value for a potential new deal from Golden State, or from a rival team in free agency.
Needless to say that it's an important season ahead for Melton in what should be the prime of his career, but things have become a little more murky as a result of the Warriors and Podziemski agreeing to an extension.
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