Over the past month, the Warriors made it no secret that they were desperate to add Jazz star Lauri Markannen to their roster. They made multiple offers involving players and picks but refused to part ways with Brandin Podziemski. Utah was reportedly keen on landing the guard but the Warriors were adamant that he was an untouchable asset and their stubbornness eventually collapsed the deal.
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Given that the front office let an opportunity to land a franchise cornerstone pass by to retain the young star, Warriors insider Anthony Slater believes he’ll have to justify their decision on the court. On an episode of Warriors Plus Minus, he opined that the team may have put too much pressure on Podziemski to have a massive campaign in the upcoming season. Slater said,
“This is not like, ‘Oh, in three years it’ll be great if Podziemski is a starting caliber player, maybe even a good NBA starter.’ It’s gotta happen right now, I think that’s the Warriors general projection.”
New Warriors plus/minus podcast with @TimKawakami sifting through the aftermath of missing out on Lauri Markkanen.https://t.co/H5sSRPIfVr pic.twitter.com/HUpe6VFuFU
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) August 7, 2024
The Warriors have a young roster but a small championship window. Stephen Curry will turn 37, while Draymond Green will celebrate his 35th birthday before playoffs commence. The duo has perhaps two years, including the upcoming season, left in the tank as elite players.
Klay Thompson’s exit means Podziemski will feature more prominently next season. He’ll have to produce consistently to ensure that the Warriors can compete with the stacked Western Conference.
He averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 74 regular-season games in his rookie season and earned a spot on the All-Rookie First Team. While those numbers are good for a guard in his debut campaign coming off the bench, the Warriors expect a massive improvement in his sophomore year.
Many presumed that Buddy Hield, who was added to the roster after Thompson’s exit, would replace the four-time NBA champion in the team’s starting lineup. However, he has primarily come off the bench over the last three seasons and will likely reprise that role with the Warriors.
Podziemski will presumably start considering he did play for the tip-off in a few games ahead of Thompson last season and the team refused to give him up to land Markannen. Had they signed Hield to play alongside Curry, they wouldn’t have been as adamant about retaining the young guard’s services.
The Warriors believe the sophomore star could be the franchise’s next homegrown star. However, he has seemingly no time to find his footing and will have to up his production in the upcoming season.
