Gui Santos’ hard work earns $15 million Warriors reward from ‘best organization’

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Gui Santos’ hard work earns $15 million Warriors reward from ‘best organization’

Kenzo Fukuda, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Sun, Mar 1, 2026 ·

6 min read

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Gui Santos' hard work earns $15 million Warriors reward from 'best organization' appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

SAN FRANCISCO – While the Golden State Warriors got stomped by the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, there was still plenty of reason to celebrate for Gui Santos and the Dubs.

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

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

Santos' contract extension is cause for celebration as it puts a stamp on one of the Warriors' most successful development stories. Drafted with the 55th pick by the Dubs in 2022 out of Brazil, Santos's progression from a G League player to key rotational piece is a feather in the organization's cap, from both a scouting angle and an internal ecosystem and development angle.

After Golden State's 129-101 blowout loss on Saturday, Santos reflected on all the work it took to get to this moment.

"It's a lot of things that come to my mind when you see your work get rewarded," Santos said. "It was a lot of work since I got here, through the G League and even before, playing in Brazil. All the resources that we have there, it's not much, and just to make the league is a big, big thing. But even to be able to get an extension, with the best organization in the world, no words that can describe this feeling."

The Santos family and his teammates' reaction

When Santos called his parents to break the good news to them, they thought he was calling for an entirely different reason.

"The call when I told them, I was kind of serious. 'Dad, Mom, I got something like serious to talk to you guys.' And they thought that I got my fiancée pregnant," Santos 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 was good. I was not doing nothing wrong. That was the only thing that could happen. That was just a joke. They were like, okay, yes, but if that was the news for them, they would love it too."

When someone joked that Santos could afford to have kids with his new contract, he cracked another joke: "Now I can get some more Gui's in here!"

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

"Watching him come in, work for it – not looking like there was a clear path to success," Moody said. "Staying down, capitalizing on opportunity. But not being overly ambitious, but still working every day, keeping his composure that he had when it wasn't looking good. Then it started looking good. And him being that same person is cool to watch. That was a conversation I had with him this morning."

Cap implications

It's safe to say that Santos's three-year, $15 million extension is a home run for Golden State's cap books. The Warriors secured a versatile forward who can shoot, defend, and rebound at a $5 million cap hit per year, which is just about what any team in league could want. And it's at precisely the kind of 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 around $182 million in committed salary to nine players next season, which includes contracts with player options, i.e. Draymond Green, De'Anthony Melton, and Al Horford. With the luxury tax threshold next season estimated to be around $201.7 million, the Warriors hope to be under that number in order to retain their ability to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Being able to use the MLE will be important in their hopes to retain Melton, who will likely command multiple suitors after recovering strongly from his ACL injury this season.

Hence, it was important to retain Santos at this number. It keeps them flexible, gives them room in their books, and provides a strong backup if Melton were to leave.

The example Santos hopes to set for Brazil

Santos understands the significance of his contract extension beyond just himself. When he was coming up, Santos recounted the nine Brazilian basketball players in the NBA that he could look 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 lone example the next generation of Brazilian basketball players can look to when they turn on their TVs. It's a responsibility he takes seriously as 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 being the biggest level you can get to. Everybody is looking at me as an example," Santos said . "For me, it's just trying to be a great guy and show that the work ethic is the most important thing. That's what got me here in this position. …

"Overall, just be a good example for our kids in Brazil and show that if you work, you get what you deserve."

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

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