Warriors' Klay Thompson Says He's Open to Reduced Role in Order to Land New Contract

Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson is in the midst of a down year, and it sounds like he's accepted his limitations.

When asked if he'd accept a reduced role to re-sign with the Warriors this summer, Thompson, who's set to become a free agent, told The Ringer's Logan Murdock, "Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that."

Thompson, who turned down a multiyear extension last summer in hopes of betting on himself, is averaging 16.9 points on career lows of 41.3 percent shooting and 37.3 percent from three-point range. He went on to explain that he knows his extensive injury history won't allow him to be the same player he once was, but he believes he can still find ways to be effective as he continues to get older.

"I'll be 35 next year. At 35, coming off the ACL and an Achilles [tear] and still have the ability to be a really good player. Maybe not the guy who scored 60 in three quarters and scored an NBA record 37 points in a quarter, but still a great threat out there," he said. "I've modeled my game after Reggie [Miller] and Ray [Allen], and those guys were incredibly effective until their late 30s. So I plan on kind of following that mold."

Thompson has appeared frustrated at times throughout this season amid his struggles. He was benched in the fourth quarter in last Monday's win against the Brooklyn Nets, and he admitted that it was hard for him to adjust to his lack of playing time. However, he told Murdock that he's shifted his attitude.

"But I've kind of had a revelation over the past few days that despite the shooting numbers or the inconsistent play, I deserve to have fun, and I deserve to play with swagger," he said.

Thompson added that it means more to him to be able to continue with the team that he's spent his entire career with and helped win four NBA championships.

"I mean, just for where we started," Thompson said. "The Warriors before we got there had a good history as far as Wilt and Rick Barry and TMC and We Believe. I think we elevated that to another level. I just think it's a special, special group, and then when we win and go to so many championships together...it's like a bond for life. It's probably the best part of the job, honestly. Trumps the money, trumps the fame, just being able to have a bond for life with those guys."