The Golden State Warriors won the NBA Championship last season and in order for that to happen they needed players to have great seasons. With players having great seasons comes the demand for pay raises from some of those players. Draymond Green already got a big deal from the Warriors and they are now looking to extend Harrison Barnes as well. One player who is up for an extension that hasn't been talked about much is Festus Ezeli who is also working on a new deal with the Warriors although a deal is not imminent, according to Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle.
Ezeli was the final pick of the first round by the Warriors back in 2012 and since coming into the league he has made big improvements. Ezeli sat out the 2013-14 season with a knee injury but was able to make it back in the middle of last season to play a role in the championship run. In 20 playoff games Ezeli averaged 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in just 9.2 minutes per game and provided major energy for Golden State.
Ezeli will turn 26 before this season starts so he is just about to enter the prime of his career and he will be Andrew Bogut's backup. The hope is that he can replace Bogut as the starter when his contract expires after the 2016-17 season but in order for that to happen the Warriors have to lock Ezeli down long-term.
Ezeli is set to make just over $2 million this season and if he doesn't come to an extension agreement with the Warriors he will be a restricted free agent next summer. Both sides want to get a deal done but it obviously has to be at the right price. Ezeli showed his true potential down the stretch last season and in the playoffs but he still has never played more than 15 minutes per game so his asking price can't be too high.
If the two sides can't agree on an extension that will likely work in Ezeli's favor, should he stay healthy this season. Ezeli is expected to get much more playing time this season as the primary backup center and if he plays the way he did at the end of last season he could put up some solid numbers and increase his value a lot. If Ezeli puts together a full, healthy season he could be in for a huge pay raise next summer unless an extension is agreed upon in the next three weeks.
