Signing LeBron James this offseason would prove the Golden State Warriors are giving it one more crack with their veteran core, and signal their short-term priorities continue to outweight long-term ambition.
That means Brandin Podziemski might have the most to lose from James' potential arrival to the Warriors, even if the young guard would still stand to be a key part of their rotation entering next season.
Brandin Podziemski has most to lose from potential LeBron arrival
Podziemski is extension-eligible this summer and could command a deal between $16-20 million annually after averaging a career-high 13.8 points this past season. Golden State have declared their desire to get younger and have more availability on their roster going forward, so it would make sense for that to start with Podziemski who's their brightest young player and who was the only Warrior to appear in all 82 games this season.
Yet while the Warriors are saying that publicly, behind the scenes they may be preparing a huge move for James that would only increase the age of the roster. This could ultimately prove a one-year, 'see how it goes' project consisting of a roster of mainly expiring contracts, allowing Golden State to easily get out of it and reset things next summer if things go badly.
If that does prove the case, why would they diminish that 2027 flexibility by signing Podziemski to a significant extension this summer? Suddenly they'd have less optionality to change things, and restricted free agency will still give them control over Podziemski anyway.
Podziemski may have to wait until next year to get his first big pay day anyway, but that seemingly becomes more likely to be the case if Golden State sign James and double-down on the Stephen Curry timeline.
LeBron James would also impact Brandin Podziemski on the floor
Not only could James impact Podziemski financially this summer, but the superstar forward could also negate the role and opportunity the 23-year-old gets late next season. Sure, the age and health concerns of the veteran roster means Podziemski will play plenty during the regular season, but their absolute best closing five might not include the former 19th overall pick.
If Golden State want to have Curry, James, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green on the floor to close games, they'd absolutely need a high-level three-and-D player in the fifth spot to knock down catch-and-shoot opportunies and defend at a high rate.
That's not really Podziemski. His ball-handling and general versatility wouldn't be as needed in such a lineup, leaving him potentially on the bench in closing moments and particularly come playoff time if everyone is available.
Playing with another of the all-time greats would still bring a lot of positives for Podziemski, but there are also reasons for him to secretly hope the Warriors fail to land James in free agency this summer.
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