The Golden State Warriors haven't been known, over the past few years, for their sharp drafting acumen or development of young talent—at least not when it comes to the Jonathan Kuminga or James Wiseman sagas.
But limiting the storyline to those players is a discredit to the organization as a whole. The Warriors have done an excellent job finding gems in the second round of the draft, and although those players don't often develop into stars, finding true rotational talent with those selections is a key to keeping a competitive roster stocked in the modern NBA.
Most notably, the Warriors also deserve credit for the way they've handled Gui Santos' emergence as a rotational threat. After he arose as a potential starting option late last season when the rotation was depleted, they wasted no time inking him to a three-year, $15 million extension that will take him at least through next season (with a player option in 2028) at an exceedingly modest annual value.
That contract, in and of itself, is already a steal. But it looks like Santos is going to start this season in Golden State's starting lineup, and his continued development means that it's almost certainly about to get even better.
Gui Santos' contract is quietly one of the best steals in the league (for a Warriors team that desperately needs it)
The Warriors were always going to be financially limited this season—at least as long as they kept both Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green's contracts on the books. Finding value in deals, either internally or externally, was a non-negotiable part of this offseason.
Santos certainly provides that. Across the 27 games (most of which he started) between Feb. 3 and April 5 last season, he averaged 15.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and four assists while shooting 34.3% from beyond the arc. There's certainly still room for him to grow as a perimeter shooter and a complementary playmaker, but for the first time in his career, we saw a consistent ability to create his own shots on the interior and take advantage of less agile opponents in the paint with his footwork.
Even if Santos were coming off the bench consistently for this Golden State team, any semblance of that level of production would allow him to quickly exceed the $5 million annual value on his current current deal.
But with Kristaps Porzingis' availability for the start of the season still in serious doubt (he's only arriving to the Warriors facility today after missing camp with an undisclosed health issue), it seems as though Santos is slated to be a key fixture of the Warriors' small-ball lineup over the early portions of the campaign. He's started in two of his three preseason appearances for Golden State in the frontcourt alongside Yaxel Lendeborg, and he looked as active as ever in his last outing against the Sacramento Kings, posting 15 points, six rebounds, and an assist on 6-of-9 shooting from the field.
Santos provides the Warriors with more than just an extra forward they can slot into the starting lineup. He's proved himself as a true scoring threat on a night-to-night basis, and the fit between him and Lendeborg in the frontcourt, considering both players' floor-spacing abilities, should work wonders for Golden State's offensive flow.
A viable bench player, especially one who's just 24 years old, is worth more than $5 million at the NBA level. A key starter, like Santos is projected to be, is worth far more than that.
Even if we see a slight dip in his production with a healthier rotation, the Warriors' decision to extend Santos when the iron was hot continues to pay dividends on a near-nightly basis.
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