In what has already been a very disappointing offseason for the Golden State Warriors fans, a recent rumor surrounding Brandin Podziemski may send discontent fans overboard if it actually comes true.
There are some reports that Podziemski and his camp may try to get as much as $25 million per year in contract extension talks with the Warriors, which could lead to a fan revolt.
Podziemski is already such a polarizing player amongst a fanbase that is looking for any reason to get mad at a team that has not made one improvement to the roster after finishing as the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference last season.
Brandin Podziemski extension may be inevitable for Warriors
Announcing any sort of extension with Podziemski would be akin to throwing a lit match on a fanbase that is basically a loose brush and just waiting to start a wildfire of controversy. But if they were to announce a deal for $25 million per year, or frankly even anything above $20 million, that would probably be worth of a legitimate meltdown from Warriors fans.
To be fair, Podziemski did take a step forward last season on the court. He played all 82 games which is impressive and was really valuable for the team, particularly as they were losing players left and right due to injury. He even got the monkey off his back and scored a career-high 30 points in a game late in the season.
Yet he also didn’t do anything that would warrant getting paid that much money. Committing that much to him would essentially be branding him as the team’s primary star after Stephen Curry, which he certainly shouldn't be despite Podziemski's effectiveness through his first three years. The young guard has proven a solid role player who could absolutely be a starter on a good team, but he's not yet shown that he is anywhere near the level of being a star just yet.
Warriors fans should prepare for him to be extended though. We know that head coach Steve Kerr likes him and there’s a good chance the Warriors will view him as a player they want to keep around after the dynasty core is done.
If Golden State sign Podziemski to a deal in the $15-20 million per year range, that’s a more reasonable discussion. Podziemski’s detractors will still complain about it, but it would be far more reasonable given what he's proven to date.
Overpaying for a polarizing player is probably the worst thing Golden State could do right now given the mood of the fanbase. Maybe they don’t care and they’ll do it anyway, but they have to be careful with the timing. Perhaps they do it shortly after announcing a Stephen Curry extension where fans will be in a happier and more forgiving mood.
While it’s not entirely fair that Podziemski has become so polarizing, that’s just the reality and means the Warriors are going to have to walk on eggshells as they try to navigate a tricky situation with a frustrated fanbase.
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