Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson will be a free agent this offseason, and if the sharpshooting wing walks, it could officially end the Warriors dynasty as we know it. However, at least one Warriors insider is predicting that this half of the Splash Brothers will be back for the 2024-25 season and beyond.

“If you have me predict, until I’m fooled or until I’m proven otherwise, I think they’re going to keep Thompson around because of what he means historically to this franchise, and the number will be dictated by the market,” The Athletic’s Anthony Slater told Michael Scotto on the Hoops Hype podcast. “If there are other teams out there willing to bump his number to a level the Warriors previously haven’t been willing to go, then maybe they’ll go to that number. If there hasn’t been, maybe Klay has to bring his ask down. But I do think, again, I would predict just because of what both sides mean to each other, I would think they would get something done.”

Slater notes that Klay Thompson — who grew up around the league with his dad, 12-season NBA vet Mychal Thompson — is “romantic about this Warriors time and the legacy” and “feels that stuff deeply and deeper than your average player.”

The reason Klay and the Warriors don’t have an extension yet, though, is that Thompson still believes he is an elite player, while his stats (and the eye test) seem to disagree. He’s currently averaging a nine-season-low in points per game (17.4) and is shooting his worst 3-point percentage (38.7%) in any season he played more than 32 games.

Slater’s idea is sound, though. When Klay Thompson officially becomes a free agent this offseason, the chances he gets an elite player-level offer from any team are slim. And once he understands his value of the open market, a return to the Warriors seems inevitable.