$110 Million Over Five Years Keeps Brandin Podziemski in Golden State

Photo: NBA.com. Official Brandin Podziemski headshot, Golden State Warriors.

Brandin Podziemski has agreed to a five-year, $110 million rookie-scale extension with the Golden State Warriors, fully guaranteed, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball told ESPN's Shams Charania on Saturday morning. The deal carries a mutual option in the fifth season, 2031-32, plus a trade kicker, and it lands nine days before the Oct. 19 deadline for the 2023 draft class.

Start with the price. Five years at $110 million works out to $22 million a year. ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported the Warriors' sweet spot at $16 million to $18 million a year and said Podziemski's camp would want $20 million to $24 million, a range he called 'a little unrealistic.' Siegel's own prediction was four years and $70 million. Golden State ended up near the top of the player's range, and paid for a fifth year on top.

So why would a front office trying to protect next summer's cap sheet go that high? Shams reported that both sides valued a long-term deal that locks Podziemski in as a foundational piece while keeping flexibility for next summer. The extension doesn't start until 2027-28, so this season's books don't move. Before the deal, ESPN's Bobby Marks projected $38 million to $55 million in Warriors cap space next summer, with the low end already counting a $17 million cap hold for Podziemski. A $22 million average sits close enough to that hold that the summer plan stays mostly intact, and the Warriors skip restricted free agency, where one offer sheet from a team with space could have set the price for them.

The contract terms matter too. It includes a mutual option for 2031-32 and a trade kicker. A mutual option only gets picked up if both sides want it.

Now the player. The 19th pick in 2023 played all 82 games last season and averaged a career-high 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.5 minutes, shooting 45.5% from the field and 37.1% from three. His scoring has gone up every season. He started 43 of those 82 games, per TalkBasket.

The bet here is about timing more than talent. Curry signed a two-year, $116 million extension on Sept. 25. Golden State now has its 38-year-old star and a 23-year-old guard both under contract, with Podziemski running past Curry's deal by several seasons.

Sources:

• Shams Charania / ESPN on X: Podziemski agrees to five-year, $110 million extension. Oct 10, 2026.
• Shams Charania / ESPN on X: extension details. Oct 10, 2026.
• TalkBasket: Brandin Podziemski lands $110M extension with Warriors. Oct 10, 2026.
• ClutchPoints, Brett Siegel: Predicting Brandon Miller, Cason Wallace, Brandin Podziemski rookie-scale contract extension values.
• Arena Bulletin: NBA rookie extension deadline: Wallace, Podziemski still unsigned. Oct 8, 2026.
• Photo: NBA.com. Official Brandin Podziemski headshot, Golden State Warriors.