The Golden State Warriors have committed $110 million to guard Brandin Podziemski on a five-year rookie-scale extension, while Stephen Curry has addressed the scrutiny surrounding the franchise’s efforts to maximize his remaining championship window. The agreement settles one long-term piece of the roster, but Curry’s comments show how much work remains around him.
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ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the agreement on X, citing Brandin Podziemski’s agent, Bill Duffy of WME Basketball. The deal includes a mutual option for the 2031-32 season and a trade kicker. It also keeps Podziemski from entering restricted free agency next summer. ESPN describes the extension as fully guaranteed, although the fifth-year mutual option means that season’s salary depends on both sides agreeing to exercise it.
Brandin Podziemski will earn $5.6 million this season, the final year of his rookie contract. The extension begins at $18.9 million in 2027-28, about $1.9 million above his projected $17 million cap hold. His salary then rises to $20.4 million, $22 million and $23.5 million before the $25 million mutual option in 2031-32. Team sources told ESPN that keeping the starting salary manageable was an important point for Golden State during negotiations.
The Warriors selected Podziemski 19th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Santa Clara. He earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors in 2023-24 and averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season. He appeared in all 82 games in 2025-26, starting 43 of them. Coach Steve Kerr has described him as a “connector.”
Speaking with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Bonta Hill during training camp in Hawaii, Curry was asked about criticism that ownership and management had not done enough to build around him after the 2022 championship.
“I’m not an idiot,” the 38-year-old said. “I know what it means in the sense of, you know, that window we had where coming off of ’22, there were opportunities to get better, add new talent, and some worked out, some didn’t.”
Curry acknowledged that the Warriors had opportunities to improve after their title, though not every move delivered the desired results. He also indicated that the final assessment of this period in his career remains unfinished.
Golden State’s results since 2022 have been uneven. The Warriors reached the second round in 2023 and 2025 but missed the playoffs in 2024 and 2026. They finished the 2025-26 season with a 37-45 record, placing 10th in the Western Conference.
Curry missed 39 games last season because of a persistent right knee issue. Speaking about the team’s championship prospects, he acknowledged that Golden State would not necessarily be viewed as a title favorite in a competitive Western Conference. He also pointed to availability as a major factor in the team’s recent struggles.
Curry remains under contract through 2028-29 after agreeing to a reported two-year, $116 million extension. He was eligible for a larger deal worth up to $136 million, but accepted less, giving the Warriors additional flexibility as they consider future roster moves.
The Warriors open the regular season against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 21, with Jimmy Butler recovering from a torn ACL. Podziemski’s extension secures a young contributor, but Golden State’s bigger test will be whether it can remain competitive while Curry continues to chase another championship.