The Golden State Warriors were more than willing to take a patient approach with Jonathan Kuminga's second contract with the franchise, and now they've been given a potential reason to take the same path with Brandin Podziemski.
Podziemski will be extension-eligible ahead of his fourth-year in the league, but his recent inclusion in a list of the league's most overrated players suggests it could be worthwhile the Warriors letting the young guard test the market in restricted free agency.
Warriors might be best served letting Brandin Podziemski hit RFA
In a recent player poll published by The Athletic on Wednesday, Podziemski received votes in the category of 'most overrated player'. He was the only Golden State player on the list, while Houston Rockets All-Star Alperun Sengun topped the poll with 12.3% of the vote.
You could look at this in two different lenses. Does his view as overrated mean that Podziemski would get more interest from rival teams, or less because rivals believe his value and impact to the Warriors is overstated?
If we're to believe the latter, then the front office might be best served taking the Kuminga approach and letting Podziemski have a look at what could be available from rival teams, knowing they've got the control that restricted free agency provides.
Waiting an extra 12 months rather than committing to an extension now would also give Golden State another season of data to utilize, though that could work against them if Podziemski were to suddenly explode into the type of player he and the franchise first envisaged after his rookie year.
Playing the patient game could cause irrepairable relationship damage
The Warriors' patience with Kuminga was eventually rewarded when the young forward finally agreed to a two-year, $48 million contract that was certainly on the franchise's terms. Golden State could have easily given in to the demands of a long-term extension at even bigger annual money, but were proven right given no team had the capacity or were willing to deliver a big offer sheet to the former seventh overall pick.
However, the downside was a very public and messy restricted free agency process where Kuminga made it clear that he wanted a fresh start. Was the patience really worth it in the end considering all the drama and what resulted as a mid-season trade for the injury-prone Kristaps Porzingis? Most fans and analysts would say no.
There's value in rewarding a young player and solidifying his future with the team as soon as possible, something the Warriors will now need to weigh up with Podziemski once extension discussions get underway.
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