Brandin Podziemski

Warriors Exercise 2026/27 Option On Brandin Podziemski

October 30th, 2025 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have picked up their rookie scale team option on guard Brandin Podziemski for the 2026/27 season, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

The move, which was considered a sure thing to happen prior to Friday’s deadline, locks in Podziemski’s $5,679,458 salary for the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. He’ll now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason and would reach restricted free agency in 2027 if he and the Warriors don’t work out a new deal before then.

Podziemski, 22, has been a regular part of Golden State’s rotation since being drafted 19th overall in 2023. The former Santa Clara star averaged 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 26.8 minutes per game in 64 outings last season, posting a shooting line of .445/.372/.758. He’s off to a solid start this year too, scoring 12.2 PPG and knocking down 42.3% of his three-point attempts through five games, including three starts.

Podziemski is one of six Warriors players whose contract includes an option for 2026/27, but he’s the only one of those six on a rookie scale contract. While rookie scale options must be exercised by October 31, decisions on player options for Draymond Green, Al Horford, and De’Anthony Melton, along with team options for Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis, won’t be due until next June.

Warriors’ Kerr: Kuminga Has Earned Full-Time Starting Role

October 29th, 2025 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

After suggesting before the season that Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green were the only three Warriors players assured of starting every night, head coach Steve Kerr is adding a fourth name to that list, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN.

Kerr said prior to Tuesday’s win over the Clippers that Jonathan Kuminga has secured his spot as a full-time member of the starting five and will be tasked with defending the opponent’s best perimeter scorer to open the game.

“He’ll be our starter going forward,” Kerr told reporters, including Slater. “He’s been fantastic. (Monday) we put him on Ja (Morant). Tonight we’ll put him on James Harden. I think he’s ready.”

As Slater observes, it’s an important development for Golden State on the heels of the contentious contract negotiations over the summer between the team and Kuminga, who sought a more prominent and more consistent role. The former seventh overall pick started 46 of his 74 games in 2023/24 but never made more than 16 starts in any other season since entering the league.

Kuminga wasn’t initially projected to open the 2025/26 season as a starter either, but Kerr reconsidered a plan to start Al Horford, determining it made more sense to bring him off the bench in order to manage his minutes. Another potential starter, Moses Moody, sustained a calf injury in training camp, setting him back and delaying his regular season debut.

That opened the door for Kuminga to claim a starting role and he has run with the opportunity, averaging 16.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 30.2 minutes per game through five games (all starts).

While the 23-year-old has been very effective offensively, posting a shooting line of .537/.438/.762, his defense and rebounding have been arguably more impressive. Kuminga averaged 4.0 RPG in his first four seasons — his 37 boards to open the season are the most he has ever recorded in a five-game stretch, according to Slater. Kerr also pointed out that Kuminga’s willingness to drive to the basket and pass the ball has helped alleviate concerns about spacing issues.

“You’ve hardly seen any of the mid-shot clock, 17-foot pullups [from Kuminga],” Kerr said. “You’re seeing him being much more purposeful, getting the ball to Jimmy, getting the ball to Steph, attacking the rim. He’s really putting a lot of pressure on people. The combination of Jimmy and Draymond and JK wasn’t great last year, but because of all the improvements JK has made, his passing, it’s just really clicking. So we’re going to stay with that.”

According to Slater, the Warriors haven’t settled on a permanent fifth starter alongside that trio. Kerr’s plan is to use either big man Quinten Post or guard Brandin Podziemski in that spot, depending on the matchup.

Warriors Notes: Stephen Curry, Kerr, Podziemski, Seth Curry

October 18th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

It’s becoming more common for NBA stars to keep playing effectively after their 40th birthday. That’s still nearly three years away for Stephen Curry, and the Warriors star told Mark Medina of EssentiallySports that he plans to take care of his body so there will be a choice to make when the time arrives.

“All I’ll say is that I just want the option and if I’m at a legitimate ability to be able to play,” Curry said. “I don’t know if it’ll make sense or if I would want to, whatever the case is. But if I can make the decision and the decision is not made for me, that’s a big, big point.”

Curry is still at the top of his game as he enters his 17th year in the NBA. He was a second-team All-NBA selection last season and an All-Star for the 11th time. He appeared in 70 games, averaging 24.5 points in 32.2 minutes per night, and remains one of the league’s most feared long-distance shooters, connecting at 39.7% from beyond the arc while leading the NBA in three-pointers attempted and made.

Intense offseason workouts are among the secrets to Curry’s longevity. His trainer, Brandon Payne, told Medina that this summer focused on strength training and speeding up his decision-making process.

“A lot of it is the foundational work that I’ve put in since I started,” Curry said. “One, I still love it. I’m blessed with being with a team around me that has helped take the spirit that I’m trying to put into it and give me the framework that keeps the body limber and loose and the injury prevention stuff. The rest of it is a toughness to get out there and do the work. I still love and want to keep it going.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Steve Kerr ponders his future with the organization in an article by Anthony Slater of ESPN that examines the coach’s long, successful relationship with Curry. Kerr, who’s entering the final year of his contract, said he wouldn’t choose to leave Golden State for another coaching job. “Management and ownership would have to want it to continue,” he said. “I would have to want it to continue. Steph would have to. I’m not finishing my contract and saying, ‘All right, I think I’ll go leave for such and such job around the league somewhere. That’s not happening.”
Brandin Podziemski left Friday’s preseason finale in the first quarter with an injury, Slater tweets. He suffered a left hip contusion in a first quarter fall and had to be helped to the locker room by trainer Rick Celebrini. However, he was able to return to action in the second half, suggesting he should be fine for the start of the regular season (Twitter link).
Seth Curry, who was waived Saturday as the Warriors made their final roster cuts, can’t return until November 11 at the earliest because the team can’t fit his prorated veteran’s minimum salary under its second apron hard cap for the first few weeks of the season. That’s why he didn’t see any playing time during the preseason, per Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. “Because he got here late and just because of the nature of everything, I’m trying to see other people as well,” Kerr said. “I’m not worried about Seth. He’s not worried about it. He’s coming along nicely.”

Warriors Notes: Starting Lineup, Moody, Kuminga, Podziemski

October 11th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors coach Steve Kerr is intrigued by the starting lineup he used in Wednesday’s victory over Portland and wants to see it in action again before the preseason ends, according to Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). After going with a small-ball approach in the preseason opener while bringing Al Horford off the bench in his Golden State debut, Kerr made Horford a starter against the Trail Blazers along with Stephen Curry, Moses Moody, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.

“That could be a really powerful combo,” Kerr said. “I didn’t have a great sense of it after the game because I was thinking so much of our turnovers and our lack of focus at times during the first half. But looking at the tape, it was a lot better than I expected for those first seven minutes or so.”

Kerr likes having more size on the court to start the game, especially with Horford, who shoots well enough from three-point range to give everyone else plenty of room to operate. The group only played together for a little more than half of the first quarter before Kerr began making substitutions, and the veterans rested in the second half.

“You can tell with all the different lineups, we know that there’s still going to be a lot to work on in terms of the chemistry and just the certain combinations,” Curry said. “That’s part of the journey of training camp. But I just like the vibe and the intentionality that we’re all coming with, understanding that we need to get off to a good start. And trying to make that happen.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

That starting group won’t be together on Sunday when Golden State faces the Lakers, Gordon adds. Kerr said Saturday that Butler has an excused personal absence for the game, while Curry and Horford will be held out. Green will start alongside Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga and Quinten Post, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link).
Moody was set to undergo an MRI on Saturday for a calf issue, Slater tweets. Kerr said it’s believed to be minor, but the imaging is being done as a precaution.
Kuminga and Podziemski come from different parts of the world and had polar opposite experiences as children, but they find themselves in the same position of competing for larger roles with the Warriors, observes Bruce Jenkins of The San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). Kuminga, who grew up in the Congo, tends to be calm and peaceful while looking the part of an NBA star, Jenkins states. Podziemski is much more of an extrovert after years of having to prove himself against elite competition.

Warriors Notes: Kuminga, Kerr, Podziemski, Horford

October 11th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agency saga was finally resolved on September 30, when the 23-year-old forward re-signed with the Warriors on a two-year, $46.8MM deal. Despite the lengthy negotiations and a contract that could make him a prime trade candidate, Kuminga tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape he’s “at peace” with his situation and doesn’t feel any anxiety about the future.

“I don’t think about things like that. I let the day just tell us what’s going to happen,” Kuminga said. “But when it comes to future stuff and things like that, no. I don’t worry about things like that. I just try to get better. You never know with this life. It’s the NBA. One day you’re going to be here. One day you’re going to be somewhere else.

“The biggest thing about it is just to work and just get better every day and be a winner. No matter where I’ll be, no matter if I’m going to be here or they might ship me somewhere else. I just want to get to wherever I’ll get, or be here and just be involved and win and impact right away. That is my biggest concern. I’m at that point now where I’ve got a couple years in now. So, I know what’s right and what is not right.”

Kuminga acknowledged some frustration with the way his role has fluctuated during his time with Golden State and said he doesn’t plan to bring the topic up with head coach Steve Kerr. For his part, Kerr still believes Kuminga can be an important piece for the Warriors, according to Spears.

“It’s been an interesting fit,” Kerr told Andscape. “He’s made it pretty clear that he wants the ball and an opportunity that a lot of his cohorts get and people that were drafted near him. And we weren’t able to offer that. We were a championship team. We won the title his rookie year (2021/22) and have been in the mix the last few years. So, it’s been tough. I respect the fact that he is competing and fighting in a set of circumstances that maybe isn’t ideal for him. But the thing I keep telling him is he can play a role for us, absolutely, with his size, speed and athleticism.

“He can play an important role on a very good team. He just turned 23 (on Monday). He has plenty of basketball ahead. One day, hopefully, he will look back on this as a valuable time in his career. But I know he’s frustrated. He’s made it very clear publicly. I don’t mind that, but I want him to embrace the idea that he can be a part of something special.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

As he enters his third season, guard Brandin Podziemski hopes to take major strides in multiple aspects of his game, writes Nick Friedell of The Athletic. In order to do so, Podziemski knows he’ll have to do a better job of regulating his emotions. “There’s a next step in evolving emotionally, and as a leader,” Podziemski told The Athletic. “Having confidence from your teammates is one thing, especially the vets, but them trusting you in big moments that could define their career. Could add another piece to their career. For them to have trust in you is a different thing, and you got to earn that over time, and I think that’s a goal of mine going into this season.”
Veteran center Al Horford has quickly developed impressive chemistry with two-time MVP Stephen Curry, Friedell adds in another story. “It’s a level of awareness that I’ve never really had to think about before,” Horford said of playing with Curry. “But when I’m on the floor with him, the whole mindset is trying to make the game easier for him. And for me, that is either getting him the ball, or setting a good screen, or doing anything that I can to make sure that our offense moves and flows. He’s such a smart player that it’s easy to play off of him. And sometimes he’ll kind of tell you what to do. He passed me that ball, but I knew that he was gonna cut, so I guess that’s the unspoken (chemistry) he’s talking about right there. He expected me to pass the ball and I did.”
Erik Spoelstra is expected to be named the new head coach of the United States’ men’s basketball team. Kerr believes USA Basketball made a great choice, per Kenzo Fukuda of Clutch Points (Twitter video link; hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). “Spo’s an incredible, phenomenal coach. Watching him the last two summers, getting to know him up close… Spo was the perfect choice.”

Western Notes: Topic, Rockets, Podziemski, Suns

October 5th, 2025 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The rotation the Thunder use this fall will look awfully similar to the one that won a championship earlier in the year, but there could be one notable new addition. Nikola Topic, the 2024 lottery pick who missed his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL, has impressed his teammates in training camp as he makes a bid for regular playing time, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (subscription required).

“It really stands out the way he sees the game,” Chet Holmgren said of the Serbian point guard. “Even without the ball in his hands, the way he cuts and finds open space. Sees plays up ahead of him and gets the ball out of his hands early. It’s impressive for a young guy, but that’s what got him noticed in the first place is his ability to see and read the game.”

Teammate Jaylin Williams also expressed admiration for Topic’s court vision and awareness: “You can see he really reads the game. Great passer, great facilitator out there.”

All 12 players who averaged at least 16 minutes per game for the Thunder last season are still on the roster, and all 12 except for Kenrich Williams (knee surgery) are healthy, so it remains to be seen whether Topic will be able to crack the regular season rotation.

However, he should get plenty of opportunities to show what he can do during Oklahoma City’s preseason schedule, which tips off on Sunday, Mussatto notes. According to head coach Mark Daigneault (Twitter video link via Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer), several of the Thunder’s top players didn’t travel to South Carolina for Sunday’s preseason opener, the first game in a back-to-back set.

We have more from around the Western Conference:

The Rockets will likely deploy different starting lineups during the preseason as head coach Ime Udoka gets a feel for how certain groups look in game settings, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). Udoka also said that forward Tari Eason and center Steven Adams will sit out Wednesday’s game vs. Utah after playing on Monday vs. Atlanta for precautionary reasons. Both players returned last season from major injuries.
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski spoke to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda about a variety of topics, including how he’d evaluate his 2024/25 season, what he focused on this offseason, and why he thinks incorporating newcomers like Al Horford will make for a “seamless transition.”
Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic shares his key takeaways from the Suns‘ victory over the Lakers in their preseason opener on Friday, including the fact that second-year wing Ryan Dunn started as the team’s de facto power forward.

Warriors Notes: Seth Curry, Injury Risks, Butler, Jackson-Davis, Podziemski

October 4th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

At a news conference following Thursday’s practice, Seth Curry explained why he decided to join the Warriors after resisting the idea of teaming up with older brother Stephen Curry throughout his career, writes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Seth told reporters that he was trying to “create my own path” in the NBA, and playing in his brother’s shadow would have interfered with that.

Coach Steve Kerr agreed with that reasoning, saying it would have been awkward to have both brothers on the team earlier in their careers.

“I don’t know if the timing was right (for Seth to join us) over recent years,” Kerr said. “We probably didn’t have playing time for him. He was in a place where he was going to teams and playing a lot, making money. It just feels like (Stephen and Seth are) both at a point in their careers where this makes a ton of sense. I’m thrilled to have Seth.”

While Steph became a legend in the Bay Area, the younger Curry faced a different journey, working his way up through the G League and playing for nine teams over the past 11 years. He has been a deadly outside shooter wherever he has gone, and Gordon notes that his career percentage of 43.3% from beyond the arc is slightly better than his brother, who is considered possibly the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history.

Seth holds a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, and he’s expected to be waived before the start of the regular season. The plan is for him to rejoin the team at some point during the season on a pro-rated veteran’s minimum deal due to the Warriors’ hard-cap situation.

“Everybody’s excited about it,” he said. “Instead of watching more games, it should be just easier to watch my game, which is easier on everybody. Everybody is excited about it, except maybe my dad (Dell Curry). He didn’t want me to leave Charlotte.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Golden State will likely become the first team in NBA history with four starters who are at least 35 years old, so Kerr will have to be cognizant of playing time to minimize injuries, Gordon states in a separate story. Thirty-nine-year-old Al Horford joins Stephen Curry (37), Jimmy Butler (36) and Draymond Green (35), and the team has reserves Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield who will both turn 33 during the season. “We don’t want to be in a position where you’re chasing (a playoff berth) down the stretch of the season,” Curry said. “It felt like every game was a playoff game for two straight months and then you transition into a very tough seven-game series and then you’re 48 hours from a round two, Game 1. It was a very condensed high level of basketball.”
Butler missed practice Friday and Saturday while recovering from a rolled ankle and Kerr considers him a “question mark” for Sunday’s preseason opener, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). Trayce Jackson-Davis has a taped right thumb and is also considered questionable.
Brandin Podziemski was used as a starter at Thursday’s practice, but Kerr said nothing has been decided yet, per Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link).

Warriors Notes: Kuminga, Horford, Green, Podziemski, Butler

September 30th, 2025 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agency remained unresolved when the Warriors took part in their media day on Monday, but it was a major topic of discussion. Stars Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler all addressed the standoff in their respective media sessions, with Green predicting that “everyone will forget (the situation) and move on” if Kuminga signs a contract and “plays great” in 2025/26 (Twitter video link).

“As leaders on the team, you have to acknowledge what’s going on and don’t make it more than what it is, other than a team trying to figure out the situation that’s front of us and the challenge that’s front of us,” Curry said, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Knowing JK’s situation, knowing the new faces that we’re adding to the roster, we talk about it every year going into a training camp what it’s going to take for that particular team to win.

“This is a little different because you have a guy that’s trying to figure out his situation, and we respect that process. It’s going to play out, and when he’s here, ready to work, like we expect him to be locked in on doing what he needs to do to help us win.”

Although the Warriors have reached a multiyear contract agreement with Al Horford, that deal almost certainly won’t be finalized until after Kuminga’s free agency wraps up, which will allow the team can maximize its cap flexibility. That meant Horford wasn’t in attendance at media day either, though Golden State’s veterans expressed excitement about the impending addition — without mentioning Horford by name.

“If we’re talking about a guy like that, he’s won it, which I really, really respect,” Butler said, per Poole. “And he’s been in this league for a long time for a reason. Elite defender. Can make shots. Plays basketball the right way. Super smart. More than anything, he wins. So, wherever that guy ends up, I know he’s going to help that team.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Only five players in NBA history – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Scottie Pippen – have made at least 10 All-Defensive teams, Green, who has earned the honor nine times, will be looking to join that group in 2026, Poole writes for NBC Sports Bay Area. “That’s my motivation,” Green said. “To go and try to make another All-Defensive team and join that list. It’s an amazing list. All first-ballot Hall of Famers. To try to put myself, my name, in the hat with those guys … that would be a dream come true.”
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski underwent procedures on his wrist and his core in the spring. However, Podziemski is not expected to miss time this fall as a result of those surgeries — he was back on the court as of August 1 and was fully cleared for all basketball activities a couple weeks ago, tweets ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
The Warriors are looking forward to their first full season with Butler on the roster, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, who looks at the mini-camp the star forward hosted at his home in San Diego earlier this month. “It was important for me to welcome those guys, like my family, into my home and have a good time and let them in a little bit of my life,” Butler said.
While it has taken a while to set the roster for the coming season, Curry is optimistic about the Warriors’ ability to compete in 2025/26, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “We’re just trying to carry the momentum that we have from last year,” the two-time MVP said. “Getting through an 82-game season is a challenge for every team, but especially a veteran team. But the way that we finished and the record that we had — obviously, before I got hurt during the second round (of last year’s playoffs), we were a relevant threat, and I think we’ve gotten better.”

Warriors’ GM Addresses Kuminga, Draft, Trade Options, Injuries

June 24th, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Meeting with reporters on Monday, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said Jonathan Kuminga will be “a main priority” heading into free agency, but he didn’t offer any hints on what the team plans to do, according to Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle.

Kuminga will be a restricted free agent after not reaching an extension prior to the start of the season. The 22-year-old forward has shown flashes of stardom during his four NBA seasons, but he has also been frustrated by inconsistent playing time, which became more pronounced after Golden State traded for Jimmy Butler in February.

Dunleavy told reporters that he would like to “figure something out sooner than later” with Kuminga, whether that turns out to be a new contract or a sign-and-trade. The Bulls and Heat have been mentioned as teams that might be potential trading partners.

Kuminga will be free to negotiate with anybody once free agency begins next Monday, but Brooklyn is currently the only team with enough cap space to make a competitive offer. If Kuminga were to get an offer sheet, the Warriors would have the option to match it, and Dunleavy pointed out that restricted free agency “can drag out a little bit.”

He added that management is comfortable “with who JK is as a player and what he can do for our organization” and said the Warriors will try to give him a more defined role if he remains with the team.

“I think those conversations (about a role) will need to happen — especially the way this season kind of unfolded last year,” Dunleavy added. “There were some moments where he wasn’t playing as much, and then the role is bigger. He’s injured. All this up-and-down. … (His role) will probably be necessary to clarify.”

Dunlevy addressed a few other topics during the press conference:

The Warriors hold the 41st pick in Wednesday’s draft, and Dunleavy indicated that he’s more likely to trade down than to try to move up into the first round, Gordon adds. Dunleavy will be hoping to repeat his late-draft success after finding Trayce Jackson-Davis with the 57th pick in 2023 and Quinten Post at No. 52 last year. “You’d be lucky to draft a guy in the second round who can make it at all,” Dunleavy said. “I think we have to be realistic about what it is. … We’re going to analyze this (draft), look at it and try to find the best player we can find that’ll contribute to this franchise.”
Dunleavy plans to be “opportunistic” in the trade market and hopes to improve the depth in the middle of the roster. With Butler, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green combining to make $170.5MM next season, Dunleavy acknowledged that the team can’t add another big contract. “We’ll look at players that we really like. It’s just almost impossible for us to add players in the salary range of guys we were looking at last season since we’ve added Jimmy,” Dunleavy said. “That would be the only limiter. But in terms of finding talent and improving this team, we’re going to look under every rock to try to do that.”
Dunleavy provided medical updates on Moses Moody (thumb surgery) and Brandin Podziemski (wrist and core muscle surgeries), saying they will “definitely be ready by training camp and even have a good portion of their summer for player development.”

Brandin Podziemski Undergoes Core Muscle Surgery

June 12th, 2025 at 7:28am CST by Luke Adams

Brandin Podziemski underwent a second offseason procedure this week, according to the Warriors, who announced in a press release that the guard had surgery on Tuesday to repair a core muscle injury.

Podziemski had undergone left wrist debridement surgery two weeks earlier. Golden State indicated at the time that he was expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of training camp. The team repeated that message in the wake of his latest procedure.

Podziemski averaged 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 26.8 minutes per game across 64 regular season outings during his second NBA season in 2024/25.

Although the 22-year-old posted a solid shooting line of .445/.372/.758 in the regular season, he struggled with his shot in the playoffs, making only 36.4% of his attempts from the floor, including 32.8% of his three-point tries.

Podziemski’s wrist and core issues may have played a part in that postseason drop-off, though it sounds like he was probably dealing with the latter for much of the season. He missed 12 consecutive games in December and January due to what the team referred to at the time as a right abdominal injury.

The Warriors guard will earn a salary of roughly $3.7MM next season, with a decision due on his 2026/27 team option (worth $5.7MM) by the end of October. Assuming that option is exercised, which looks like a lock, he’ll become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason.

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