4 Warriors who earned untouchable status this season
By Tyler Watts
The Golden State Warriors hoped to be title contenders, but are fighting for a spot in the Play-In Tournament. Plenty has gone wrong and leaves the franchise with questions to answer. Can the Dubs build another contender around Stephen Curry before he retires? It would take some bold trades, but it does not appear to be the team’s plan.
Owner Joe Lacob made it clear the Warriors want to dodge the luxury tax in two of the next four years. They have spending concerns and could be forced to trade away talent making significant money this summer. Golden State is not entering a full rebuild, so who does the franchise keep?
Throw out their history with the team and everything they have accomplished. Just based on this season’s play, who should be untouchable for the Warriors’ front office this summer? These players earned that status.
4. Brandin Podziemski
The Dubs' first-round draft pick in 2023 has exceeded all expectations as a rookie. He was out of the rotation to begin the year, but that mistake quickly became clear. Podziemski had eight rebounds in his first game where he played over 20 minutes and dropped 23-7-5 in his second.
The Warriors believed in the 6’5 guard enough to draft him 19th overall, but even they did not think he would force his way into the rotation as a rookie. Since Podz started playing a regular role in mid-November, he has averaged 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 0.9 steal in 28.8 minutes per game over 56 contests.
The 21-year-old may never blossom into a superstar, but he will be a consistent role player for the next 15 years. There is a ton of value in that and the Warriors owe him just $12.9 million over the next three seasons. It is difficult to find a rotation piece that makes less than $5.6 million per season, so the Dubs have a bargain on their hands.
Brandin Podziemski is far from the only Warrior who earned untouchable status, and the next player continues to prove his value to the franchise.
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