The Golden State Warriors are interested in signing Brandin Podziemski to a contract extension. The 23-year-old is on track to become a restricted free agent next summer and will enter that polarizing territory if the Warriors fail to extend him.
If the Warriors plan on giving Podziemski a contract extension, however, then they must also give him a significantly bigger role on offense to determine just how good he can really be.
Podziemski finished the 2025-26 season with averages of 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.9 three-point field goals made in 28.5 minutes per game. He shot fairly efficiently, converting shots at a clip of .455/.371/.797.
During a recent call with local reporters, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy made it clear that Podziemski's success has resulted in Golden State prioritizing a contract extension for him (h/t Marc Stein of The Stein Line).
"We really value Brandin. He's a player that, for all the things that he does well, most importantly he impacts winning. When he's on the court, we're a better team. So anytime you've got a guy like that, you want to be able to keep him around. Obviously we have multiple ways to do it through an extension and restricted free agency and all that, but we prefer to get it done sooner rather than later. We really like Brandin. He's done a terrific job for us and he's a big part of our program."
Though it's entirely understandable for the Warriors to want to extend Podziemski, they must redefine his role and make him a more featured player if they intend to extend him.
Brandin Podziemski needs a far bigger role if he signs an extension
For as well as he's played, Podziemski posted a usage rate of just 19.6 in 2025-26. It was up only slightly from the mark of 17.7 he posted in 2024-25. Perhaps there's reason to celebrate growth, even in its smallest form, but context is key.
Podziemski appeared in all 82 games in 2025-26, while Jimmy Butler missed 44 and Stephen Curry sat for 39. Even still, he was never truly empowered to run the offense.
Podziemski was sixth on the Warriors in usage rate, however, with De'Anthony Melton exceeding his mark and LJ Cryer matching him. It's no slight to Cryer or Melton, but Podziemski had seemingly been positioned to take a step forward in role and responsibility after two years during which he played at least 26.6 minutes per game.
Instead, even the absence of the top two offensive players on the roster yielded but a minor uptick in his usage rate. To put it simply: That needs to change if he's going to sign an extension.
Podziemski clearly plays a significant role in Golden State's system, with on and off-ball responsibilities. Considering how skilled he is, how ravaged by injuries the Warriors were, and how few shot creators and playmakers were on the roster, it's simply unfathomable that he remained in a rather low-usage role relative to his opportunities.
If the Warriors plan on extending Podziemski and thus signing him to a long-term deal worth a decent chunk of change, then they must greatly increase his workload on offense.
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