Gui Santos earns $15 million prize from ‘best organization’

SAN FRANCISCO – While it is Golden State Warriors when the Los Angeles Lakers stomped on him on Saturday night, there was still plenty of reason to celebrate for Guy Santos and the Dubs.

Santos and the Warriors agreed to a three-year, $15 million contract extension with a player option in 2028-29, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. The deal prevents Santos from hitting restricted free agency and signs a player who has become an integral cog in the coaching staff Steve Kerr‘s rotation.

“Happy for Gui and happy for us,” Kerr he said on Saturday. “He’s been such an important player for us, but also just an incredible development story. A second-round pick, and he spent his entire freshman year in Santa Cruz, and I think he was a two-way position at some point. But he’s become one of our most important players, and we’re all so excited for him.”

Santos’ contract extension is cause for celebration as it puts the stamp on one of the Warriors’ most successful development stories. Santos’ progression from G League player to key rotation player is a feather in the organization’s cap, both from a scouting angle and from an internal ecosystem and development angle.

After Golden State’s 129-101 loss on Saturday, Santos reflected on all the hard work it took to get to this point.

“Many things come to mind when you see your work being rewarded,” Santos said. “It’s been a lot of work since I got here, through the G League and even before, playing in Brazil. All the resources we have there, it’s not much, and just to make the league is a big, big deal. But even to get an extension, with the best organization in the world, there are no words to describe this feeling.”

The reaction of the Santos family and his teammates

When Santos called his parents to tell them the good news, they thought he was calling for a completely different reason.

“The call when I told them, I was kind of serious. ‘Dad, mom, I have something serious to talk to you guys about.’ And they thought I got my fiancee pregnant,” Santos he said laughing with a big smile on his face.

“I was purposely (leading them on by saying I had) something really serious to talk about. They know my life has been good. I haven’t done anything wrong. It was the only thing that could have happened. It was just a joke. They were like, okay, yeah, but if it was news to them, they would love it too.”

Guy Santos’ family thought he called them for another reason after today:

“I was kind of serious, like dad, mom, I had something serious to talk about, and they thought I got my fiance pregnant.”

When they got the real news they were still very excited. 😂 pic.twitter.com/6BAvIVlCui

— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) March 1, 2026

When someone joked that Santos could afford to have kids with his new contract, he dropped another joke: “Now I can get more Gui here!”

But when Santos was able to break the real news to his parents, they were very excited and emotional for him because they understood all the hard work it took to get there. It’s a work ethic that Moses Moody got to see first hand. After the game, Moody talked about watching Santos work his way into the rotation, given that his path wasn’t always clear.

“Watching him come in, work at it — it doesn’t seem like there’s a clear path to success,” Moody said. “Staying down, taking advantage of the opportunity. But not being overly ambitious, but still working every day, keeping the composure he had when it didn’t look good. Then it started to look good. And him being the same person is cool to watch. That was the conversation I had with him this morning.”

Cap implications

It’s safe to say that Santos’ three-year, $15 million extension is a chance for Golden State. The Warriors secured a versatile forward who can shoot, defend and rebound for a cap hit of $5 million per year, which is about what any team in the league could ask for. And that’s exactly at the salary level needed when their two best players, Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, are making north of $55 million next year.

As for their cap situation, Santos’ deal puts the Warriors at about $182 million in salary commitments for nine players next season, which includes the contracts with options on players Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton and Al Horford. With next season’s luxury tax threshold estimated to be around $201.7 million, the Warriors are hoping to stay below that number in order to maintain their ability to use the mid-level non-taxpayer exception. Being able to use MLE will be important in their hopes of retaining Melton, who is likely to command multiple suitors after recovering strongly from an ACL injury this season.

That’s why it was important to keep Santos at this number. It keeps them flexible, gives them room on their books and provides strong support if Melton leaves.

An example that Santos hopes to set for Brazil

Santos understands the importance of contract extensions beyond himself. When he was coming, Santos mentioned nine Brazilian basketball players in the NBA that he could look up to as an example of what he hoped to become.

But as the only current NBA player born and raised in Brazil, Santos is the only example that the next generation of Brazilian basketball players can look up to when they turn on their televisions. It’s a responsibility he takes seriously because he knows all eyes are on him.

“I’m the only one here, so I’m the biggest example when you look at basketball and the NBA as the highest level you can get to. Everyone looks at me as an example,” Santos he said. “For me, it’s just trying to be a great guy and show that work ethic is the most important thing. That’s what got me here in this position. …

All in all, just be a good example to our kids in Brazil and show that if you work, you get what you deserve.

He asked Gui Santos how his story can help the next generation of Brazilian basketball players enter the league:

“For me, it’s just trying to be a great guy and show that work ethic is the most important thing because that’s what got me here.”

Full soundtrack here: pic.twitter.com/ANuhcKT1AB

— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) March 1, 2026

Guy Santos will continue this hard work this season and beyond in a Warriors uniform, and will hope to make a splash in the postseason.