It doesn't appear as if Klay Thompson and the Warriors will be working out a contract extension anytime soon.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski joined "NBA Countdown" prior to Golden State's preseason matchup with the Sacramento Kings and reported that the two sides have not made progress toward an extension and it's becoming increasingly likely the Warriors star could enter free agency after the 2023-24 NBA season.
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"I'm told that there has been absolutely no progress on a Klay Thompson extension in Golden State and that they are both still apart on years and money, and there's a very real possibility that Klay Thompson goes into free agency next summer without a deal and I think that's where it gets complicated for Golden State," Wojnarowski said. "It becomes something of a high-wire act, especially if Klay Thompson duplicates this year the kind of season he had last year.
"You know in the marketplace teams value shooting, they value high-level wing defense. And I think for Golden State this has a chance to become the first real test of keeping together that core of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson."
Thompson is entering the final year of the five-year, $189 million extension he signed in July 2019.
Former Warriors general manager Bob Myers, who stepped down from his role earlier this summer, since has joined "NBA Countdown" as an analyst and was asked what he believes the path forward for Thompson and the Warriors is.
Golden State Warriors
"Well this is why I left, first of all," Myers joked. "A lot of times people will say 'it's just business,' but this is not a 'just business' type of situation. There's going to be a statue of this player outside of Chase Center. He was instrumental in bringing four championships, he's beloved inside the organization, the fan base.
"So it's not so simple as it's money and years, this is ... this is why it was hard for me, you get relationships with these people. Especially if you've succeeded with them. And that core has been together for 12 years and that's just so rare now. It just doesn't happen. And so this is a delicate negotiation. From what I know and see, he wants to stay, they want him to stay. Doesn't mean it will happen, but it is a test. It's certainly a test like Woj said, this is probably the first real test."
If there's anyone who knows the inner workings of the Warriors' front office, it's the man who spent 12 years with the organization and helped negotiate every single one of Thompson, Curry and Green's contracts.
Although there appears to have not been much progress between the two parties, there remains little doubt that Thompson and the Warriors eventually won't work something out.