Klay Thompson on Warriors Contract Talks: 'Hard to Envision' Playing for Another Team

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are locked into multi-year contracts with the Golden State Warriors, but the third member of the franchise's iconic big three is facing a lot of uncertainty about his future going into the 2023-24 season.

Speaking to The Athletic's Anthony Slater about his contract, Klay Thompson said it is "so hard to envision myself in another uniform."

Thompson is entering the final season of his five-year, $189.9 million deal. He signed the contract in July 2019, just a few weeks after tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.

The Warriors and Thompson are engaged in talks about a new deal. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne said on a recent episode of the Lowe Post podcast (h/t Kurt Helin of NBC Sports Bay Area) that it's a "slow process" right now and neither side is in a hurry to get something done.

Thompson told Slater he doesn't feel any additional pressure right now because of his contract:

"I don't need to go into this year and … I know if I just do my job and I'm in shape and I compete at my highest level, I'm going to make money in this league for a long time. So I don't worry about it. I'm blessed beyond measure. Obviously you want to make the most in the window you have as an athlete. But I'm not going to let that get in the way of winning a championship. When you win, everything else will be taken care of."

Speaking to reporters during Warriors media day on Oct. 2, Thompson said an extension is "possible" soon but "life is still great" if it doesn't happen.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in April that Thompson had "an expectation" for a max-level deal during the offseason. That came before the start of Golden State's first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings.

The postseason was rough for Thompson, particularly the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers. He shot under 40 percent from the field in five of six games with just 27 points total over the final three games.

Thompson used to be one of the best defensive guards in the NBA, but his performance on that end of the court has started to slip. It's understandable for a 33-year-old who lost two years of his career because of a torn ACL and torn Achilles to not be as nimble as he used to be.

But this creates potential problems for the Warriors when trying to figure out how to assess Thompson's value going forward. They were able to work out a deal with Green over the summer that reduced his average annual salary from his previous contract but guaranteed him $100 million for the next four years.

Thompson still has a lot of value because of his shooting ability. He led the NBA with 301 three-pointers made and shot 41.2 percent from behind the arc in 69 starts last season.

The Warriors are projected to pay $395 million on their roster this season between player payroll ($207.2 million) and luxury tax ($188.2 million). The Los Angeles Clippers are a distant second with $291.6 million in total payroll.

Thompson has spent his entire NBA career with Golden State after being selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2011 draft.