The Golden State Warriors have a big money decision to make, and it goes far beyond Stephen Curry’s immediate future. As the Warriors map out potential cap space for 2027, Brandin Podziemski is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is eligible for an extension. Golden State has plenty of reasons to keep the talented guard, but determining his exact market value is turning into a complex financial puzzle.

With young NBA stars recently securing massive extensions across the league, Podziemski’s contract expectations could create a major hurdle for Golden State’s front office. On ESPN’s The Hoop Collective, insiders Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon broke down why Podziemski’s projected $17 million cap hold makes an extension feasible, but MacMahon openly questioned whether the young player’s lofty self-perception could stall negotiations. Highlighting the potential friction point in contract talks, MacMahon pointed to Podziemski’s extreme confidence, noting:

“To succeed in the NBA, a lot of guys like a delusional sense of confidence is a requirement. I’m not holding it against him, but I’m just saying in terms of negotiations, like I don’t think you can pay a deal like Ausar Thompson just got or like Keyonte George just got.”

But Golden State first needs to know what Curry wants to do.

Curry signed a one-year, $62.6 million extension in August 2024, as per an NBA report. That deal keeps him under contract through the 2026-27 season. The same NBA report cited that Curry had around $178 million guaranteed over the next three seasons.

Now, Curry has another extension decision to make.

Windhorst explained that Curry does not have to decide immediately. He can still sign an extension during the season. However, the Warriors would likely want to know his plans before the new season starts.

“And the reason I think it’s got a good chance of happening is, you know, we have talked at length about how if Steph Curry doesn’t extend, and he’s now weeks off his extension window,” Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast. “He could still extend like Anthony Slater was talking about this on NBA today on Friday. Just because he hasn’t doesn’t mean he won’t. He can extend anywhere time during the season.”

The bigger question is what happens if Curry does not extend.

Stephen Curry’s Extension Saga will Set Up Everything

According to Windhorst, Golden State could potentially have around $100 million in cap space. That amount of money could give the Warriors a lot of freedom to change their roster.

He continued, “Typically this is something you’d want to get settled before the year starts though. And so he’s like, ‘Listen, Steph will probably make up his mind one way or another by the start of training camp.’ But if Steph does not extend, they have potentially hundred million in cap space.”

Curry’s decision could also affect what Golden State does with Brandin Podziemski.

At first, Windhorst thought the Warriors could wait before giving Podziemski an extension. That could help them protect as much future cap space as possible. But there is another important part of the salary cap situation.

If Podziemski becomes a restricted free agent and the Warriors keep his rights, he will still count against their salary cap. This happens because of his cap hold. And Windhorst put that figure at around $17 million.

“Pajki’s cap hold, which is what he sits on their books as, even if he hasn’t signed, as long as he remains, as long as you retain his rights and you want to make him a restricted free agent, his cap hold is $17 million,” Windhorst explained.

Now, imagine Golden State gives him an extension with a first-year salary of around $19 million or $20 million. That would only be around $2 million to $3 million more than his cap hold. Because of this, Windhorst believes an extension around that amount may not hurt Golden State’s future plans very much.

“So, if the Warriors can sign him to a contract that’s not too far away from that 17 million in the first year, and you know, I think he’s going to get maybe more than that, but you know, if they sign a contract that’s worth 19 or 20 million in the first year, for example, it doesn’t impact their books that much,” Windhorst said.

MacMahon then asked if the possible cap-space figure already included Podziemski’s cap hold.

“Well, when you talk about the cap space they could have, that’s not factoring in his cap hold, is it?” MacMahon asked.

Windhorst was not completely sure about that part of the calculation. But he made one thing clear: the Warriors want to keep Podziemski.

Podziemski played all 82 regular-season games in the 2025-26 season. He averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He also shot 45.5% from the field and 37.1% from three-point range. Those numbers show why Golden State has reasons to keep him.

Windhorst also talked about these qualities while explaining why a reasonable extension could make sense.

“I would say about signing Pajki is he averaged 14 points last year, shot 46% from the field, shot 37% from three. Can play multiple positions, can play alongside Steph,” Windhorst noted.

Of course, Curry remains the much bigger part of Golden State’s plans.

The Warriors built their modern success around Curry and won four NBA championships with him. His shooting forces defenses to change the way they play. He also creates space for teammates even when he does not have the ball. That is why Podziemski’s ability to play next to Curry can be very useful for Golden State.

However, Windhorst believes the Warriors should also think about the future when they decide Podziemski’s contract.

Windhorst added, “Sign him to a contract that you can trade if you need to in a year.”

That could be a very important part of Golden State’s decision.

If Curry does not sign another extension immediately, Golden State could keep major financial flexibility for 2027. However, that does not mean the Warriors have to let Podziemski leave just to create more cap space.

The main challenge could be finding the right contract number. Golden State wants to reward Podziemski for his growth, but the Warriors also do not want to pay him like one of the NBA’s highest-paid young players.

What do you think? Can the Warriors keep Brandin Podziemski without hurting their plans for the future? Let us know in the comments.