The Golden State Warriors, obviously, need to carefully weigh their next steps when it comes to Brandin Podziemski.
As much as we've seen flashes out of him as a true scorer and rebounder, he hasn't yet shown a consistent ability to function as a starting-caliber combo guard at the NBA level. Last season, when he entered the starting lineup across his final 24 games, he averaged an encouraging 17.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting 38% from beyond the arc.
But is that production that he can sustain over the course of a whole season? At what point will he be able to shake off his inconsistencies and establish himself as a true cornerstone of this Warriors roster moving forward?
These are questions that need to be answered as Golden State considers what value they want to place on Podziemski's next contract. But when it comes to the question of whether they should extend Podziemski at all, that answer should already be set in stone.
This Warriors team has very few options to lean on beyond the end of the Stephen Curry era. They have no choice, then, but to keep Podziemski in the fold—at the very least as a trade asset as they move into this next phase of the organization.
Brandin Podziemski, whether we like it or not, needs to be on this Warriors roster beyond 2026-27
Curry is almost certain to sign an extension to keep him with the Warriors beyond this season. He's still playing at a high level, and virtually all of the reporting has indicated that he wants to keep doing so in Golden State.
But the end of his tenure in Golden State is now within view. It seems as though he'll sign a one or two-year extension, and the end of that contract will mark the end of his NBA career.
Try to imagine what this Warriors team looks like in that hazy period beyond Curry's retirement. With the way the Warriors have drafted and developed over the past few years, it's a pretty difficult assessment to make. As promising as Yaxel Lendeborg looks, we haven't yet seen him on an NBA court. It's also hard to know what Moses Moody will look like upon his return from his torn patellar tendon, and his current contract will come to an end after 2027-28.
The only known quantity Golden State has that can be secured beyond the end of this era currently is Podziemski. That's certainly not an ideal position to be in, but it's the way the cards have been dealt for the Warriors.
In a vacuum, there should be a real question about extending Podziemski. If the Warriors are forced to fork over anywhere north of $20 million annually on his next deal, that's the type of contract that could hamstring a rebuild from the get-go. Perhaps wiping the slate clean there in terms of young talent, especially considering the control they have over their upcoming first-round picks, could be a viable move.
But to let Podziemski walk with end of Curry's career approaching would signify an intention to bottom out on the part of Golden State's front office. It would be an unavoidable and uncomfortable acknowledgement of their failure to leverage what draft capital they've had over the past few seasons into sustainable young talent.
To expect the Warriors to give up on Podziemski at this point, and leave this roster at an even greater deficit of long-term options, is unrealistic. Podziemski will be extended—it's simply a matter of if the Warriors can bring him back at a moderate value in this current era of restricted free agency.
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