Inside The Warriors

Warriors Make $5.6 Million Decision on Brandin Podziemski

The Golden State Warriors exercised their fourth-year team option on Brandin Podziemski on Thursday afternoon
Matt Guzman|
Oct 12, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) handles the ball during the second half at Crypto.com Arena.
Oct 12, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) handles the ball during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Golden State Warriors

Brandin Podziemski has lofty goals with the Golden State Warriors. Thursday afternoon, the franchise pledged its faith in him for another season.

In an unsurprising move, Golden State exercised its fourth-year team option on Podziemski, keeping him on the roster for the 2026-27 season for a $5.6 million salary.

Per Warriors: "Podziemski earned 2023-24 NBA All-Rookie First Team honors, becoming the 19th player in franchise history to receive the recognition. The third-year guard has appeared in 143 career games (64 starts) with the franchise, averaging 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and one steal in 26.8 minutes per game."

In Year 3, Podziemski's numbers haven't been so fruitful.

Warriors Exercise Podziemski's Team Option

Podziemski, 22, has appeared in five games this season, averaging 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 29.6 minutes per game. Despite a relatively slow start, Warriors coach Steve Kerr remains confident in the point guard's abilities.

"He's not at his best right now," Kerr said. "Brandin always wants to be great. Sometimes he just needs to relax and be good, and that's when his play becomes great."

Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) posts up to shoot against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quar
Oct 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) posts up to shoot against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. | Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

Over the offseason, Podziemski set a high bar for his personal growth. While helping the Warriors win basketball games sat at the top rung of the ladder, he had his eyes on another milestone.

“I want to be better than (Steph Curry)," he said, acknowledging his statement's magnitude. "That's a tall task, but I want to maximize my talent in the league and get as much out of it as I can."

Podziemski has a long road ahead if he's aiming to surpass the Warriors' best player, but he's aware of the pressure he's placed on himself. He plans to utilize that to his advantage.

“To be honest, not everybody wants to be as great as Steph Curry," he said. "Some people say it, but not everybody wants to. It's: 'How can you find that balance of what you want to do? And be as great as you can be?'"

Until Podziemski figures out the answer to that, he'll be able to learn from his teammate, beginning with the Warriors' sixth game of the season against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Tipoff from Fiserv Forum is set for 8 p.m. EST Thursday night.

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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