Will Richard

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Above-rotation impact at near-tier salary earns Will Richard a B Contract Value Index. Richard's 2025-26 season line of 6.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 1.4 APG across 62 games reflects the below-average production you'd expect from a fringe rotation player still fighting for consistent minutes as a rookie, which aligns squarely with his C performance grade—yet his steals rate has drawn favorable notice from Warriors media, preserving the ceiling narrative that keeps this deal from falling into bargain-bin territory. At $1.27M AAV on a one-year rookie scale contract, Richard is priced exactly where a second-round pick (26th overall, 2025) should be: minimal cap imprint, zero long-term obligation, and genuine upside optionality if development clicks. The real value here lies not in what he's produced so far, but in what the organization believes he could become with a single developmental adjustment—a narrative Warriors media has actively promoted despite his injury report appearances and the team's current 37-45 position at the tenth seed. His contract carries no tail risk because the deal itself is already a sunk cost; the CVI grade reflects the clean risk-reward proposition for a cost-controlled prospect still in his rookie season, even as the organization's broader roster moves (rest-of-season and 10-day signings at center) suggest a team patching holes rather than building toward anything meaningful in the near term. The downward grade trend across sentiment and contract value over the past month reflects less about Richard's intrinsic value and more about the undertow of a losing season and organizational uncertainty—but the deal itself remains structurally sound.

Performance Analysis