The Warriors Gave Brandin Podziemski Ayo Dosunmu Money. Was That Justified?

Comparing Podz and Dosunmu and whether their teams paid them the right amount

Brandin Podziemski | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Golden State Warriors signed Brandin Podziemski to a five-year, $110 million extension on Saturday, which led many to debate how much he's worth.

One of the more fascinating debate topics is whether he should be paid virtually the same amount as Ayo Dosunmu.

The Timberwolves re-signed him for five years and $112 million this offseason.

Both are 6'4" guards who primarily play off the ball but have enough playmaking chops to average about three-and-a-half assists per game.

Podz (23) is three years younger than Dosunmu (26), which some have mentioned as a pro for Podz's contract value. But considering both players will be in their primes throughout their new contracts, the age curve shouldn't be a major part of this discussion.

2025-26 Stats Comparison

Dosunmu had the best season of his career last year, setting career highs in points per game and effective field-goal percentage.

Podz also set career highs in points per game and effective field-goal percentage, but he didn't see the improvement that Dosunmu did year over year. And more importantly to this discussion, Dosunmu was simply a better scorer than Podz last year.

2025-26 Stats	PPG	eFG%	APG	RPG
Podz	13.8	.543	3.7	5.1
Dosunmu	14.8	.599	3.6	3.4

Podz was much better over his last 22 games, averaging 18.1 points on a .572 effective field-goal percentage. And he averaged 20 points per game in two play-in games.

But Dosunmu had a 43-point playoff game as part of a series against Denver in which he avareged 21.8 points on a .703 effective field-goal percentage. He struggled against the Spurs in the next round (9.4 PPG on a .410 eFG%), but that was after he suffered a calf injury.

In any event, the fact that Dosunmu has take-over-a-playoff-game offensive potential separates him from Podz.

Career Advanced Stats Comparison

Dosunmu has been a more efficient scorer than Podz for his career, but he hasn't been had as much positive impact on his teams' plus/minus.

Here are the net ratings for both players in each season of their careers, per Cleaning the Glass:

	21-22	22-23	23-24	24-25	25-26	25-26
Podz	N/A	N/A	+6.2	+6.8	+2.9	N/A
Dosunmu	-11.0	-7.4	-2.9	-9.5	-0.9 (w/ Bulls)	+2.5 (w/ Wolves)

Dunks and Threes' EPM is an often cited advanced stat that incorporates some net-rating numbers into it. But it's different enough that it is worth comparing how the two players rate in it.

	21-22	22-23	23-24	24-25	25-26
Podz	N/A	N/A	+0.4	+1.1	+0.0
Dosunmu	-3.2	-2.3	-1.2	-2.6	+0.1

Where they differ the most is in defensive EPM.

	21-22	22-23	23-24	24-25	25-26
Podz	N/A	N/A	+0.4	+1.4	+0.6
Dosunmu	-1.3	+0.4	-0.3	-1.7	-0.1

These numbers are partially why fans have such a big range of values about Podz.

He'll never be a go-to scorer because he doesn't have the skill and athleticism to consistently generate good looks in one-on-on situations. And he isn't the Tony-Allen-like on-ball defender who hounds the opposing team's best player.

But his on-court impact is consistently strong for a variety of reasons.

There are the reasons that are easy to cite. He's a great rebounder for a guard. He takes lots of charges. He takes care of the ball pretty well.

But his net-rating numbers suggest there's something harder to quantify going on here.

Steve Kerr has called him a connector several times, which is one way to try to describe it. He's simply in the right place making the right decision on both ends of the court.

Who Is More Valuable?

Dosunmu doesn't defend well enough to be a starter on a championship team, but he fills the sixth-man scorer role that can be very valuable in a playoff run. Though he's not as dynamic as Jordan Poole, he could prove as valuable to the Wolves as Poole was to the 2021-22 Warriors.

When Dosunmu signed his contract, it was commonly accepted as the correct move. The Wolves couldn't afford to lose him, and though there might have been some sticker shock to $112 million for some fans, that's the market rate for quality players in the top six of a contender's rotation.

It's still TBD on whether Podz can be a starter on a championship team. Ideally, he'd improve either his scoring/creation skills or his on-ball defense.

At worst, Podz will be a do-it-all sixth man. Perhaps the best current comparison for Podz is Josh Hart, with Podz having a little more scoring ability and Hart having a little more on-ball defense/rebounding ability.

The Knicks just won a championship with Hart starting, which is a point in Podz's favor. But the Warriors don't have the quality of roster that the Knicks do, which could expose Podz's weaknesses.

There isn't an obvious answer to who is more valuable between Dosunmu and Podz.

When it comes to role players, I tend to favor the better all-around player—in other words, the player who won't get picked on as much on either end of the court.

To me, that's Podz.

For his contract to be a great value, the Warriors will need Podz to get better. I think he will, and that's why I wrote here that I'm bullish on deal from the Dubs' perspective.