SAN FRANCISCO — One of the Warriors’ biggest successes of their recent draft classes secured at least his short-term future with Golden State.
The Warriors on Saturday morning announced an agreement with Gui Santos on a contract extension. The team did not disclose terms of the deal, but ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that it will pay the 23-year-old Brazilian wing $15 million over the next three years.
Golden State selected Santos with the 55th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
His energy on the court and bubbly presence in the locker room made him a quick hit within the organization, but this season he has emerged as a reliable rotation member — one the Warriors were comfortable committing to through at least 2027-28.
The deal, according to Charania, includes a player option for 2028-29.
“Gui has become one of our shot creators,” coach Steve Kerr said after practice Friday, before the agreement was finalized. “He does it in some unorthodox ways. But he’s got a great sense of the game. When to cut. His cutting frequently opens up somebody else.”
Santos was set to become a restricted free agent after this season and, with his emergence over the past month, would have likely had a few suitors.
Santos made his fourth start of the season Jan. 26 against the Timberwolves and turned in a double-double. He has started and scored in double figures in all but one game since.
Over the 12-game stretch, Santos has averaged 15 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals while playing 28.8 minutes per game.
The biggest difference has been the emergence of his 3-point shot, connecting at a 43.1% rate from beyond the arc compared with a career mark of 36.3%.
The Warriors asked Santos to take on a bigger role in the wake of Jimmy Butler’s season-ending injury. It also coincides with the end of Jonathan Kuminga’s tumultuous tenure.
“The coaches here, the staff, the organization, they’ve helped me with everything I need, and right now, they’re giving me the opportunity to show a little bit more because of all that happened,” Santos said after practice Friday. “That’s opened a little more space to show what you can do.”
In many ways, Santos has grown into the player Kerr always hoped Kuminga could be. While Santos lacks the athleticism and natural skill that made Kuminga a lottery pick, his quick decision-making on offense and relentless motor on defense allowed him to fit better within the Warriors’ well-established system with Steph Curry and Draymond Green.
Santos said there was one key word to his success this season: “Patience.”
Coming from Novo Basquete Brasil, the country’s top professional league, Santos spent his entire first year after being drafted with the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. He didn’t make his NBA debut until Nov. 16, 2023. He made his first career start this season, on Nov. 19.
Early on, Santos recalled asking a staff member the key to succeeding in Golden State.
“You’ve got to play hard defense. You’ve got to be crashing the boards all the time. And you’ve just got to find Steph. It’s easy,” he was told. “I said, ‘All right. I’m doing that.’”
The shot creation Kerr praised stems from Santos’ history as a point guard. The 6-foot-7 wing had the ball in his hands his entire career in Brazil. The Warriors wanted him to play power forward — sometimes even center.
“I spent a whole year in the G League just learning how to fit in the system here,” Santos said. “I had to change my game a little bit to fit in the system. I think that’s what a lot of players struggle with. Because it’s hard. … I just kept going and going.”
And now, he has secured financial security and the future he once envisioned.
“My goal always,” he said, “was playing in the NBA, playing for the Warriors.”
Comments are closed.