Warriors exercise Podziemski’s third-year contract option

Warriors exercise Podziemski’s third-year contract option originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors have exercised the third-year contract option on guard Brandin Podziemski, the team announced Wednesday.

The option will pay Podziemski approximately $3,687,960 for the 2025-26 NBA season, per Spotrac.com. Under the terms of the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, the first two years of a first-round draft pick’s contract are guaranteed, while the third and fourth years of the contract are the team’s option.

Golden State selected Podziemski, 21, at No. 19 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, and the decision to exercise his third-year option certainly is a reward for all he has accomplished with the Warriors since then.

Through four games this season, Podziemski is averaging 9.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 27.0 minutes. In the Warriors’ 124-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night at Chase Center, Podziemski stepped in admirably for an injured Steph Curry and finished a plus-17 with 19 points and five assists.

Podziemski appeared in 74 games (28 starts) during his rookie campaign, averaging 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 26.6 minutes per contest, and was named to the 2023-24 NBA All-Rookie First Team after leading the NBA with 38 charges drawn.

Among rookies, the 6-foot-4 guard ranked fifth in assists (3.7), sixth in rebounding (5.8), 10th in scoring (9.2), 10th in steals (0.8), eighth in minutes (25.7) and third in 3-point field goal percentage (38.5). Podziemski also recorded 17 games with at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists — the second-most such games among rookies behind San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama (23), per the Warriors.

Podziemski’s tenure with the Warriors is going well so far, and it’s clear the team likes what they’ve seen from the young pro.

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