As the NBA season is set to kick off, four players could receive rookie contract extensions. In the latest edition of The Stein Line, Marc Stein lays out the four “strongest candidates” from the class of 2023 to receive rookie-scale contract extensions by the October 19 deadline at 6 pm.
“The strongest candidates to join that list in coming days, league sources say, are No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller (Charlotte), No. 6 Anthony Black (Orlando), No. 10 Cason Wallace (Oklahoma City) and No. 19 Brandin Podziemski (Golden State),” Stein wrote in his latest column.
If all four players ink extensions, they'll join Victor Wembanyama, Keontae George, and Amin Asar Thompson as rookies from the 2023 class to have secured rookie extensions. Stein reports that Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin and Scoot Henderson and his team share interest in an extension, but the road could get rocky, as Stein says there's no clear read on when that could come.
The future of Brandin Podziemski
Stein then focuses on Brandin Podziemski. The Warriors and Podziemski want to work out the extension before the deadline, but that is also a variable up in the air. ClutchPoints senior NBA reporter Brett Siegel explained why he believed that, in July, he laid out his thoughts on what Podziemski's extension could look like in a post on his X account.
“I think the sweet spot would be between that $18-19 million per year range. I personally expect this to be a little bit north of $20 million. Somewhere in that $22-24 million range for Brandin Podziemski annually.”
But in an August report, Siegel noted that Podziemski could enter the season without the extension.
Article Continues Below“Do not be surprised if Podziemski enters the 2026-27 season in the final year of his rookie deal and is staring down restricted free agency next offseason. After all, he still needs to prove his overall worth either in the starting lineup or as the team's sixth man,” Siegel said.
Siegel provided the latest on Podziemski's extension talks during Thursday's edition of Clutch Scoops. According to Siegel, Podziemski's camp is looking for a deal north of the mid-level exception, potentially in the $20 million to $24 million range annually, while the Warriors would prefer to keep him closer to $16 million to $18 million.
“Maybe there is some type of common ground that could be found here. Maybe Podziemski would be willing to take $18 million. I personally believe, based on the conversations I have, that if he went to the Warriors saying that he would take $18 million or $19 million annually, the Warriors would work something out there to get him on a new deal,” Siegel said.
Still, Siegel doesn't sense much urgency from either side. Podziemski has made it clear he wants to stay in Golden State, and the Warriors are comfortable waiting with roughly $60 million to potentially work with next offseason.
“The sense I'm getting is that he's okay waiting. The Warriors are okay waiting,” Siegel said. “They don't want to lessen what they could potentially do in terms of free agency and adding talent on this roster.”
As of now, there's no deal on the table, and Golden State has until Oct. 19 to find that middle ground or let Podziemski play out the final year of his rookie contract.