Warriors’ Mike Dunleavy Jr. breaks silence on Brandin Podziemski contract talks

Brandin Podziemski is expected to carry a heavier load for the Golden State Warriors in the upcoming season, as he is among the few young members of the team’s aging core. He has shown that he can be a productive two-way weapon, and he should only get better in his fourth year.

Podziemski is eligible for a rookie-scale contract extension. The Warriors, however, have yet to give him a new deal with just a few weeks before the start of their training camp. According to ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, Podziemski should fetch a competitive salary.

“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,” said Siegel.

Mike Dunleavy Jr., the general manager of the Warriors, picked the 23-year-old Podziemski with the No. 19 pick in 2023. According to the Stein Line’s Marc Stein, Dunleavy remains high on the do-it-all guard, and a new contract is forthcoming.

“We really value Brandin. He’s a player who, for all the things he does well, most importantly, he impacts winning. When he’s on the court, we’re a better team. So anytime you’ve got a guy like that, you want to be able to keep him around,” said Dunleavy.

“Obviously, we have multiple ways to do it through an extension and restricted free agency and all that, but we prefer to get it done sooner rather than later. We really like Brandin. He’s done a terrific job for us, and he’s a big part of our program.”

Last season, Podziemski averaged career-highs of 13.8 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals on top of 5.1 rebounds. He played all 82 games.

He stepped up during stretches when Stephen Curry was sidelined, including being more of a vocal leader. With Jimmy Butler still recovering from his knee injury, Podziemski could get more scoring opportunities.

He will likely start with Curry, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, and Gui Santos in the upcoming season.

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