Warriors ready for major offseason dilemma after Brandin Podziemski contract decision

The Golden State Warriors have unsurprisingly picked up the fourth-year team option on young guard Brandin Podziemski, and in doing so have readied themselves for a major offseason dilemma next year when the 22-year-old becomes extension eligible.

Podziemski has been a big part of the Warriors since early in his rookie year, but what exactly he'll be worth on a new deal remains up in the air and may not necessarily become clearer before negotiations take place.

Warriors will have a major dilemma with Brandin Podziemski next offseason

After a slow start to last offseason, Podziemski was essentially a full-time starter following the All-Star break and was part of a very effective lineup that helped Golden State surge into the playoffs and ultimately to the second-round.

However, Podziemski's role to start this season hasn't been so guaranteed. Steve Kerr confirmed following Tuesday's win over the L.A. Clippers that the Warriors would leave their fifth starting spot floating between Podziemski and second-year center Quinten Post.

Given the sheer size and talent that's now prevalent around the league, it wouldn't be surprising if Podziemski finishes with more games coming off the bench than starting, albeit so much can happen between now and the end of the season.

Despite the slightly uncertain role, Podziemski is still averaging career-highs in minutes (29.6), points (12.2), steals (1.2) and 3-point percentage (42.3%) through the first five games of the season. However, if the Warriors don't view him as a guaranteed starter by season's end, that could limit their willingness to provide the sort of contract extension that Podziemski and his agent will be after.

Golden State, of course, have some leverage in knowing that a deal doesn't need to get done next offseason. They could add a fourth year of data by allowing Podziemski to enter restricted free agency in 2027, something they were comfortable to do with Jonathan Kuminga this past offseason.

While the Kuminga situation was messy and took months to resolve, it's actually turned out well for the Warriors who got the young forward back on their terms and have since seen him make huge strides to start the season. In fact, part of the reason Podziemski doesn't have a guaranteed starting role is because Kuminga now does.

If the Warriors do allow Podziemski to enter restricted free agency, it would make for an even bigger offseason given Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are all scheduled to be free agents if they don't re-sign beforehand.