The Golden State Warriors got their final major contract development of the offseason this weekend when they signed Brandin Podziemski to a five-year, $110 million contract extension, avoiding the restricted free agency period that was awaiting both him and the organization in 2027.
There's multiple angles to view this deal from. First and foremost, a flat annual value of $22.5 million feels steep for a player who's shown as many inconsistencies as Podziemski as across his first three NBA seasons. At the same time, there have been true flashes of productivity from the young guard, especially towards the end of last season, and the deal escalates in order to keep the first year at around $18.9 million—allowing the Warriors to preserve most of their cap space in what will prove to be a pivotal offseason.
In the short-term, then, this is a win for the Warriors. Whether it's one in the long-term will depend on how Podzmieski's development continues to unfold.
But $22.5 million isn't an absurdly lofty goal to reach as the cap continues to raise across the league, at least if Podziemski is able to take another leap before his rookie deal comes to an end. If he's able to prove himself, in any way, as a consistently viable and versatile starter next to Stephen Curry, his ability to justify that number will look a whole lot better by the end of 2026-27.
Brandin Podziemski isn't a perfect fit next to Stephen Curry—but he needs to clean up his game if he's going to be a viable long-term starter
There's a reason Golden State sought to bring De'Anthony Melton back in free agency this offseason, and there's a reason he's likely still receiving serious consideration for the starting lineup at this point in the preseason. While Melton doesn't have the same on-ball upside that Podziemski does, his defensive skill set makes him a clearer fit in the backcourt next to the Warriors' superstar.
$22.5 million annually is a steep price to pay for a player who, at his best, is a viable, scoring sixth man. If that's where Podziemski's ceiling ultimately lies, it'll be hard to argue that this isn't a slight overpay on the part of Golden State.
But the Warriors have clearly felt comfortable slotting Podziemski in next to Curry to this point in the preseason, and if there's a way to maximize their talents on the offensive side of the ball, perhaps there's a path to Podziemski establishing himself as a bona fide starter for the Warriors.
Podziemski only truly entered the starting lineup last season after Curry went down with a knee issue, but he showed plenty of flashes of on-ball scoring potential in that span. Across his final 24 games, Podziemski averaged 17.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while knocking down 38% from beyond the arc. That was largely without the necessity of acting in complement to Curry, but the numbers were there.
The discrepancy in defensive value also wasn't that large—at least not last season. Across 455 minutes last season with Curry and Podziemski on the court (and Melton off) the Warriors posted a defensive rating of 115.2. With Curry and Melton on (and Podziemski off) their defensive rating was a slightly improved 114.7.
If the Warriors are able to cushion some of the defensive deficits in Podziemski's game with capable point-of-attack defense from their wings—like Yaxel Lendeborg and Moses Moody (when he returns)—perhaps there's room to make this combination work over a larger sample size. That will also require, though, Podziemski to continue to show confidence with the ball in his hands, working his way downhill consistently and helping to provide the spacing that makes Curry's game so impactful.
No matter how Golden State gets it done, Podziemski's next contract is only truly justifiable if the team is able to start him next to Curry over the next couple of seasons. If he's able to get it done, that number suddenly looks a lot smaller—at least relative to comparable starting guards across the league.
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