Long-term planning: Podziemski agrees to contract extension with Warriors, per report

Brandin Podziemski is definitively part of the Warriors‘ long-term future, now that he and the team have reportedly agreed to a contract extension.

The combo guard is set to sign a five-year, $110 million deal with Golden State, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, with a mutual option for the 2031-32 season.

Podziemski, 23, has been a source of hope and, at times, consternation for a fan base seeking young players who can both contribute to success during the end of Steph Curry’s run and potentially lead the team into its next phase when he and Draymond Green eventually retire.

The 23-year-old guard has not shied away from expectations, saying publicly that he wanted to take the franchise baton from Curry when the former MVP retires, later acknowledging his confidence may not have been prudent to share.

He looked like a total hit when he made the NBA’s All-Rookie team after the Warriors selected out of Santa Clara with the No. 19 pick in the 2023 draft. Podziemski found multiple ways to contribute in his first season, finishing second on the team in rebounds (5.8 per game) and hitting 38.5% of his 3-pointers.

A sophomore slump followed as Podziemski battled injuries in his second season and failed to make a leap the Warriors hoped would come after his breakout first year. He was the subject of trade rumors, including a potential deal for Utah’s Lauri Markkanen, but Warriors owner Joe Lacob reportedly declined to include Podziemski in any offer for the Finnish forward.

He bounced back last season, though, and was a key contributor as the lineup shifted night to night with Golden State’s veterans bouncing in and out of the lineup. He played in all 82 games, starting 43, and averaged 13.8 points on a career-best 45.5% field-goal shooting.

With this new deal, which kicks in before next season, Podziemski will become the Warriors’ longest-term contracted player, joining rookie Yaxel Lendeborg as the only ones with deals that stretch into the 2030s.

A Milwaukee-area native, Podziemski joined Santa Clara in his sophomore season after beginning his collegiate career at Illinois. He was the West Coast Conference’s co-player of the year and the Broncos’ second consecutive first-round pick, following Jalen Williams, after a 25-year drought since Steve Nash was drafted. Allen Graves made it three in five years this June when he was drafted 19th by Toronto.