Brandin Podziemski's name has popped up often this offseason after his strong rookie year with the Warriors.
His ascending value has made him a popular trade chip candidate should Golden State make a splash move for a star this summer. In particular, reports have surfaced claiming Podziemski is the primary focus for the Utah Jazz in a potential Lauri Markkanen trade.
Despite that frequent notoriety online, the young guard actually is enjoying seeing his name circling around NBA trade rumors.
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"It's very fun for me actually. I love it," Podziemski conceded on "The Dinner Table" podcast on July 25. "It's cool to see different things every day -- people's comments, and if I should be [traded] or shouldn't be.
"For me, from a basketball perspective, social media aside, I try to put that away and just work on what I can control right now."
Podziemski's comments regarding trade buzz differ from those of many other NBA players, who often claim to completely ignore those kinds of rumors. Instead, he has a more positive view.
"No one likes to admit it, but everybody sees ... the good and the bad," Podziemski declared. "For me, I think the bad can just be used as motivation. Obviously, my name has been in the Markkanen trade a lot, so if the trade doesn't go through and I'm still here, to have a good second year and be like, 'Good thing we didn't trade him,' would be cool for me."
Golden State Warriors
Likewise, recent reports have claimed Golden State is reluctant to move on from its first-round pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. That news has boosted his confidence.
"It's a stamp of validation that I'm doing all the right things -- everything that I tried to do my rookie year, they're all the right things, and I'm going to do [that] in the second year," Podziemski explained. "Just to have an elevated role in this second year, hopefully, is something I'm looking forward to. "
Still, Podziemski appeared to acknowledge the possibility that he isn't a Warrior by next season.
"If I'm in a Warriors uniform or if I'm in a different uniform come October, that's where I'll be," Podziemski asserted. "Training camp starts October 1, so whatever group of guys I'm with is the ones I got to win with, so that's just kind of how I look at it. I don't really look too much into where I'm going to be or where I'm not going to be."
Regardless of how the next two months play out, Podziemski's mental headspace doesn't appear to be an issue as he enters his second NBA season.