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EspañolWarriors sign young forward Gui Santos to multi-year contract extension originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
With several Warriors stars sidelined due to injury, Gui Santos has stepped up in a consistent and dependable way in recent weeks.
And on Saturday, the versatile forward was rewarded.
Golden State signed Santos to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced in a statement.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported, citing sources, that the deal is a three-year, $15 million contract extension with the franchise, which includes a player option in 2028-29.
Santos had 11 DNP-CDs (Did Not Play, Coach’s Decision) this season before the season-ending injury to Warriors star forward Jimmy Butler in late January. Santos has played heavy minutes every game since then, averaging 13 points on 57.6-percent shooting from the field and 41.7 percent from 3-point range, with 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 26.6 minutes.
The injury bug since has carried over to other Warriors players, such as Steph Curry, who has missed the last nine games with a knee issue.
Down two key starters, Santos has had to take on a different role to try and keep the Warriors afloat in the Western Conference. With Curry out, Santos has taken on more ball-handling duties and served more as a point-forward — a role he said he’s really enjoyed.
In the nine games without Curry — all games Santos has started — the 23-year-old has averaged 15.2 points on 57.87 percent shooting and 43.6 percent from distance, with 5.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals in 30.3 minutes played.
The timing is quite fitting, too, as Santos was just speaking to reporters after practice Friday about his NBA journey.
“I think the keyword for that is patience,” Santos said. “Because when I got here, I was a point guard. Playing back in Brazil was like playing as a point guard, you know, having the ball in my hands. I spent the whole year in the G League (2022-23) just learning how to fit the system.”
It appears the patience has paid off.