Brandin Podziemski is one of the most promising young guards in the NBA. While NBA fans may think highly of Podziemski, the Golden State Warriors organization views him in a much higher regard than anyone expected – that much was shown during the team’s failed trade for Lauri Markkanen.
Shams Charania of The Athletic was a guest on The Pat McAfee Show where he revealed that the Golden State Warriors believe that Brandin Podziemski is the team’s guard of the future. The team reportedly believed so strongly in it, that they refused to include him in a trade for Lauri Markkanen.
“Brandin Podziemski, their rookie, they have high hopes for him,” Charania said.
“They view him as really that guard of the future in Golden State. They have been unwilling, as of right now, and as of really in any deal right now, to put him in that deal. That’s why Lauri Markkanen is staying in Utah.”
Just last month, Warriors owner Joe Lacob publicly stated that he believed Podziemski was going to be a future All-Star. Lacob’s belief is so high that one month later they’ve refused to trade Podziemski for an All-Star to pair Steph Curry with.
Steph Curry is 36 years old and is going to turn 37 next season; Brandin Podziemski is only 21 years old. For as good as the Warriors believe Podziemski could be, the team is just not on a timeline to wait if they want to maximize Steph Curry’s last years as an elite player.
The decision to not pull the trigger on acquiring an All-Star because of Podziemski’s expectations will remain an incredibly controversial one until Joe Lacob’s hopes are proven correct. Unfortunately for Podziemski, the expectations and pressure on his career growth have now gotten much higher.
