Klay Thompson has been an instrumental part of the Golden State Warriors dynasty, that much is certain. But as the Warriors know all too well, keeping a championship-level core together is an expensive endeavor. They even had to trade away Jordan Poole for Chris Paul with the intention of cutting future costs in mind. Soon enough, the front office will have to deal with Thompson's contract situation, as he only has one year left on his contract.

However, as Anthony Slater of The Athletic pointed out during an appearance on Michael Scotto's HoopsHype podcast, keeping Thompson isn't as simple as putting pen to paper for the Warriors. Slater said that Thompson's personality means that coming to terms on an extension before the 2023-24 season begins will be unlikely, as the sharpshooter will want to prove that he's worth one last huge contract.

As a result, the Warriors may find it “very difficult to stomach” another huge contract if Klay Thompson manages to play himself into a gigantic payday. This is what makes signing the 33-year old veteran to a complicated decision to make for the Warriors front office.

At the end of the day, the Warriors will have options in light of the Chris Paul trade. Paul's contract is non-guaranteed for the 2024-25 season, so the Dubs could cut him loose and manage to sign Thompson to a huge contract while remaining under the second luxury tax apron.

Still, signing Klay Thompson to a new contract will not be an impossible task for the Warriors. Slater added, however, that doing so requires Thompson to take a huge pay cut, signing an extension similar to the one Andrew Wiggins signed in 2022.

All things considered, Thompson is likely to remain a Warrior — perhaps for the foreseeable future.