Three years and $50 million?

According to several league executives, that is likely to be what it takes to land Warriors restricted free agent center Festus Ezeli this summer. “Obviously there are health issues you’re worried about,” one general manager told Sporting News. “So I don’t think you’d want to go beyond three years. But he still has a lot of upside and he can get better in a bigger role.”

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Ezeli has been thrust back into the spotlight after seeing his role dry up in the playoffs. The Warriors have tended to go smaller in the postseason the last two years, and Ezeli averaged 8.1 minutes in the opening series against the Rockets, and did not play at all in Game 1 of the conference semifinals against Portland. But Ezeli played a key role in the Warriors’ fourth-quarter comeback in Game 2, with eight points on 4-for-4 shooting, and five rebounds in the period. Golden State outscored Portland in the paint in the fourth, 16-8.

“He changed the whole game with his pick-and-roll defense and his presence around the rim, the energy he gave us,” coach Steve Kerr said.

That game illustrated what makes Ezeli such a free-agency conundrum in the coming offseason. A source indicated that Ezeli’s preference is to remain with the Warriors — who have the right to match any offer — under the assumption that he would take over as the team’s starter when Andrew Bogut’s contract is up after next season.

But the more dedicated the Warriors become to small-ball, the more it seems Ezeli could be looking at a limited role. He will turn 27 in October, and obviously is ready for a bigger share of playing time sooner rather than later. If the price tag is hefty, the Warriors could determine they’re better off letting Ezeli go elsewhere.

And it is likely that, even as he scrounges for postseason minutes with Golden State, the price tag for Ezeli will be high. With the influx of new television money hitting NBA salary caps this summer, the market will favor players, especially given the fact that there are not all that many top-level free agents available. A young big man like Ezeli, whose per-36-minute numbers (15.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocks) were impressive, is a gamble teams will be willing to take.

The Lakers, a source said, will have interest in Ezeli, seeing his size and rim-protecting defense as an ideal complement to forward Julius Randle. L.A., of course, just hired Warriors assistant Luke Walton to be its coach. Ezeli had the best months of his career in November and December, with Walton filling in while Kerr recovered from back surgery, and before Ezeli’s knee injury.

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Two contracts worth considering according to one league executive, are the one signed by Omer Asik last summer and the one signed by Al Jefferson in 2013. Asik’s deal is considered a mistake leaguewide, but it went for four years and $41 million (plus a fifth non-guaranteed year), almost $11 million per year. Jefferson signed a three-year deal worth $40.5 million, or about $13.5 million per year.

“In the market we’ve got coming,” the executive said, “he gets in that range, and then a little bit more than those guys.”

But Ezeli is unlikely to get a four- or five-year deal. He had right knee surgery and sat out all of the 2013-14 season, then had minor arthroscopic left knee surgery this year that limited him to 46 games, and those issues are a concern. While he figures to get a sizable deal up front, it won’t be a long commitment. That could benefit a team that wants to limit its injury risk, but also could benefit Ezeli if he plays exceptionally well and warrants a bigger deal down the road.

During the season, Ezeli told Sporting News that he wasn’t thinking much about free agency (as just about any free agent says) but added, “I think the more we win, the better it is for me.”

Well, the Warriors are in the conference semis and up, 2-0. Things certainly are looking good for Ezeli.