Why an elite talent such as Marvin Bagley III might not succeed at the next level

Brandon Podziemski was mentioned regularly in trade discussions this summer. That came up most often between the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz in talks that would have sent Lauri Markkanen to the Bay Area. However, the Warriors never had any intention of trading Podziemski.

“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 said he’s happy he stayed with the Warriors. The second-year guard recognizes the team’s investment in him, but Podziemski said that he’s just going to be himself vs trying to replace Klay Thompson.

“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.”