The Golden State Warriors have been the subject of a ton of trade speculation this offseason. However, one young player that is apparently off-limits is the young shooting guard, Brandin Podziemski. The left-handed youngster has been the subject of plenty of trade rumors this offseason. Especially when it came to rumors centered around Jazz forward, Lauri Markkanen. However, Golden State GM, Mike Dunleavy Jr., isn’t letting him go anywhere.
“A lot of these other teams are calling about you,” Podziemski said Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. told him after a workout near draft night. “They want you, but you’re not going anywhere. You’re ours.”
Podziemski also recognizes the long-term investment the team is putting on him. Especially as they start the post-Klay Thompson era.
“I think for me, anything in life, if you do something good, with good comes expectation,” Podziemski said. “I mean, I won’t go into games thinking about it. I just know what I’ve done all offseason. I know how much better of a player I’m going to be. Obviously, I have expectations for myself to perform. This is my job. But I don’t think there’s any nervousness to exceed expectations. I’m just going to be me.”
Podziemski is coming off a solid rookie campaign.
Golden State Warriors Making Brandin Podziemski Part of Long-Term Plans
Brandin Podziemski’s Ceiling
Brandin Podziemski certainly has potential to develop into a solid rotational piece. Last season, he made the All-Rookie Team. On top of this, Podziemski has developed into a great point-of-attack defender. During his rookie campaign, he averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 total rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Podziemski also tallied a defensive rating of 115, a steals percentage of 1.5 percent, and a defensive rebounding percentage of 16.7 percent. Not to mention, he never shied away from guarding the opposition’s biggest perimeter threat at times. Considering all of this, it makes sense why the Warriors are excited about Brandin Podziemski’s future.
A Time of Looming Questions in Golden State
The Warriors are going through major adversity for the first time in years. Now, there are growing concerns that superstar point guard, Steph Curry, may want to leave. Especially after he and LeBron James seemingly grew close during the Olympics in Paris. On top of that, Golden State’s depth is still a major question mark and they have failed this offseason to land a complimentary star for Curry. Things are certainly bleak right now for this squad. That being said, Brandin Podziemski is a young talent they can at least looking forward to developing in the future.
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