Following Peyton Watson’s blockbuster four-year, $88 million sign-and-trade deal linking the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers, the spotlight across the NBA offseason has shifted to the impending extensions for players who were rookies less than three years ago. Unlike Watson, who had a breakout streak this past season, fans are still waiting for wonders from Brandin Podziemski.

With training camp right around the corner, Golden State Warriors insiders Sam Esfandiari and Andy Liu weighed in on the Light Years podcast to project what the third-year guard could command in extension talks before the regular-season deadline. During the discussion, Esfandiari cautioned the Warriors against overpaying or handing out a premature contract based on Podz’s unproven potential.

“Pod’s a good player, but I don’t think he stapled himself in any capacity where you can give him a projection contract,” Esfandiari explained. “Like, you kind of need to hold the line on him.

“The world where you give him, let’s just say, the Christian Braun, and he’s fine next year, but he hasn’t taken a leap. Look, a lot of teams would like Podz on the current contract. Podz making a hundred million over four years, if he doesn’t get a lot better, that’s not a movable contract. That’s not a movable contract.

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“The league tells you that if you are a two-way wing who can hit threes and can actually guard, 20 is your starting number. There’s not a lot of 6-ft-8 guys who can actually slide their feet against a point guard. I’ve thought about hard about it; I think my number for Podz is 18, give or take. But I would not go over 20, period!”

Back in October 2025, the Nuggets gave Christian Braun a five-year contract worth $125 million after a great season, hoping to capitalize on his potential. He, however, plateaued in the 2025-26 season. Consequently, his contract restricted the Nuggets till they lost a rock-solid contributor like Peyton Watson.

With Denver unable to match Cleveland’s offer, Watson secured an $88 million extension after averaging career highs of 14.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 54 games for the Nuggets, before a hamstring injury sidelined him. While Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s office has publicly stated their desire to extend Podziemski, Liu questioned whether Watson’s new $22 million average annual value sets a baseline for Pod’s market.

For the Warriors, Podziemski is coming off a campaign where he averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while appearing in all 82 games. Watson and Podz are both 23, and a draft class apart. But Podz has not shown massive or consistent improvement — like Austin Reaves’ undrafted-to-franchise-player trajectory — to warrant a massive salary projection.

Yet some analysts project over $22 million annually for him. As the Light Years duo said, Dub Nation feels that’s an inflated valuation for Podz right now. Podziemski’s camp could reportedly seek between $22 million and $24 million annually due to his increased role as a starter, but the Warriors’ sweet spot remains in the $15–18 million range.

Entering training camp, the Warriors have largely adopted a “running it back” strategy, electing to build around their established core while banking on internal development. However, Podziemski faces immediate competition in the backcourt alongside Stephen Curry.

With veteran guard De’Anthony Melton healthy and vying for starting minutes, Podz must assert himself similar to Watson. If an agreement is not reached prior to the eve of the regular season, Podziemski will play out the final guaranteed year of his contract at $5.7 million before heading into restricted free agency next summer.