Brandin Podziemski, the fourth-year guard out of Santa Clara, is locked into a five-year, $110 million deal with the franchise that drafted him. The Golden State Warriors have squarely elevated Podziemski into their much-anticipated future with a deal that Podz called a sign of faith and trust on their end.
I can only imagine how thrilled Podz is to get the validating payday, putting his name in a select few of Warriors guards this franchise paid to be its future, a club where the future has a funny way of ending up somewhere else. We’ll get back to that a little later.
If the Dubs are a family, this is the equivalent of Podz as the little brother getting his driver’s license but still needing to wait for his older brothers to leave for college to get the keys to the whip. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green aren’t out the door just yet, but it’s only a matter of time before it’s a wrap for their vaunted careers. Podz is very much next in line to seize part of that braintrust as floor general and team leader, and this is a pivotal year in his development towards that.
At the very least the Warriors have a salary chip tied to Podz for any larger-scale trades they’d like to pull off, I suppose. But I don’t think they gave him the bag just to trade him away. Rather, I think this is a shrewd investment from a franchise that saw something in him during his career as a Warrior that crystallized last season. They’re not paying him to be the next Steph Curry, rather they’re keen on him being the first Brandin Podziemski.
Last October, Podz was fighting for minutes in an impossibly crowded backcourt. Then Jimmy Butler’s ACL went, Moses Moody’s patellar tendon went, and the rotation he was supposed to climb ended up resting on his shoulders. Per Basketball Reference, Podz played all 82 games, started 43 and logged 2,333 minutes, the most on the team, averaging 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 45.5% from the field, 37.1% from three and 79.7% from the line.
He showed growth in the parts of his game that don’t make highlight reels, like scoring twos and getting to the charity stripe. His free throw attempts nearly doubled and he finished shooting 53% inside the arc.
He had a trying winter, as in his rough shooting was trying Dub Nation’s nerves. He shot 31.6% from deep in January, then 25.5% from three and 41.3% from the field in February. It was the kind of extended cold slump where every miss gets clipped online in a disgruntled observer’s running :Trade Podz” file. But in late February, just shy of his 23rd birthday and with the jumper still missing in action, he went out and grabbed 30 rebounds across two games. From an undersized 6-foot-4 guard, that kind of production on the glass in back-to-back games is rather Westbrookian.
From there he shot 39.6% from three in March, then 51.3% from the field and 40.4% from deep in April, a stretch that includes the two play-in games. He also kept his reputation as a hustling pest of a defender by drawing 23 charges, second in the NBA only to Jalen Brunson. And when you look at the Warriors’ best three-man lineups, the same curly head keeps popping up: Podz was in eight of the top ten by plus-minus.
That’s pretty good! Playing all 82, nearly leading the league in charges, and being in 80% of GSW’s top three man lineups last season seems worth the $110 million, right?
Then again perhaps this is beyond being worth the money, as there is a haunting history of Warriors guards who don’t seem to stick around. Is Podz gonna be the guy who helps carry the franchise forward? There’s a plethora of GSW guards who made a memorable impact but then ended their careers somewhere else. Take a brief jaunt with me down memory lane, won’t you?
Tim Hardaway. The engine of Run TMC lost all of 1993-94 to a torn knee ligament, and by February 1996 the Warriors had shipped him to Miami, where he made All-NBA First Team a year later.
Gilbert Arenas. The Warriors were outbid by the Wizards in a scenario so lame the league named the loophole after him on his way out the door to Washington where became a leading man.
Jason Richardson. The Warriors paid J-Rich $70 million to be the face of the franchise, then traded him to Charlotte three years later, ending the We Believe team.
Baron Davis. The man who ended a 12-year playoff drought walked away from $17.8 million, and according to his agent, the Warriors never even made him an offer.
Monta Ellis. Monta got $11 million a year in 2008, got injured in a moped accident, and four years later got shipped out to Milwaukee for Andrew Bogut.
Jordan Poole. He announced his bag on Instagram from the 2022 championship locker room, signed for $140 million, and was gone the next summer. YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!
Klay Thompson. After four rings, a dynasty, and two major lower leg injuries, it all ended. Per CBS Sports: “Thompson rejected that $48 million offer, and during the season, the Warriors slowly began to rely more on more heavily on rookie shooting guard Brandin Podziemski, even bringing Thompson off of the bench for a stretch.”
Cue 2Pac’s So Many Tears. Every one of those guards used to bring Dub Nation up out of their seats with their dazzling play and tenacious grit. How many of them left in a way that made you feel good as a Warrior fan? Zero?
Steph Curry stands the chance of being the only star Warriors guard out of the group to finish his career in the blue-and-gold by the Bay. But the clock is ticking on Curry’s career, and Podz stands right there looking to take the torch from arguably the greatest pound-for-pound player in NBA history. Curry and Podz shared 601 minutes last season.. That’s about basically a quarter of Podz’ minutes played alongside Curry, who missed a lot of time with injury. Most of Podziemski’s season was already a rehearsal for life after Steph. The sight of them together can be a trigger for grief and hope in the same building; will Podz’s ascension help maximize what’s left of Curry’s closing window?
Who do the Warriors want him to be? Well let’s ask the Dubs: Coach Kerr said he wants him shooting more threes. Kerr also said he needs Podz in more on-ball defensive assignments to spell Curry from pick-and-roll warfare. Draymond said he needs him to be cautious in how he talks about taking the lead in the future because it can bring unnecessary drama. Steph wants him to be decisive, and stay coachable.
But what do you need from him, Dub Nation? Your voice rings loud, let everyone know in the comments what you’re looking for from Podz this season.
I’ll tell you what I need from BP: dominate your role. Be the guy who sticks his nose into the fray and snags 15 rebounds over men much bigger and stronger. Be the guy who sees the extra pass before the ball hits your hands, connecting the offense in ways that makes the defense stretch further and further. Sacrifice your body in the lane to turn someone’s easy dunk into turnovers and frustration. And shoot that thang when you get a good look, make them suffer everytime the defense leaves you alone #abandonmentissues.
And above all have some fun man! You get to play in the Bay with one of the greatest franchises in NBA history, and the guys who helped make it so are handing you the opportunity of a lifetime. Be you Brandin, you’re the only who can. The keys are coming, young fella. Just make sure you enjoy the ride while Steph’s still behind the wheel.
> Gil and Boogie still can’t believe the Warriors chose Podz over Klay.
I mean, they chose Podz over Michael Jordan, too. Did it occur to Gil and Boogie why they’re sitting in comfy chairs shooting the sh*t rather than playing ball? Turns out age matters in sports.
First and foremost I'd like Podz to stay healthy. The Warriors have enough of their cap space sitting in street clothes.