After dropping Game 6 of the NBA Finals Thursday night, the Golden State Warriors' quest to three-peat and win the championship for the fourth time in five seasons has been terminated. However, it's not their biggest loss: Kevin Durant fractured his Achilles In Game 5 while Klay Thompson tore his ACL in Game 6

With Durant and Thompson hitting the open market this summer and potentially missing all of next season due to injury, the Warriors have some critical decisions to make. The biggest, however, is whether they should offer max contracts to Durant and Thompson.

The short answer would be: they should let Durant walk and re-sign Thompson.

On the other hand, the long answer would be centered on the fact that the Warriors' identity from the Mark Jackson era to the present has been their prolific backcourt duo of Thompson and Stephen Curry.

Thompson is one of the best players in the NBA. He's a stout defender, dead-eye shooter, physical on both ends of the floor, and an irreplaceable figure in head coach Steve Kerr's rotation. He also averaged 20-plus points per game in each of the last three seasons with Durant and Curry running the show. Meanwhile, Curry is the best point guard in the NBA — he's arguably the best shooter the league has ever seen, an underrated defender and brilliant playmaker who finds the open man with ease.

If Curry, Draymond Green and the bulk of their roster — minus Durant — remain, the Warriors are still a competitive team. Now, if Thompson misses all of next season (which is a legitimate possibility), the Dubs won't stand a chance at winning the Finals, but they have to save face. A slower Thompson to begin the 2020-21 season, alongside their core and a deep bench, can compete for a championship.

The thought of giving a player in excess of $30 million a season after they suffer an injury that may take a year to heal sounds insane. At the same time, this is a pivotal offseason for the Warriors who have to give themselves — and the Bay Area — a reason to believe that they can bounce back and/or stay in title contention.

There's no replacing Thompson and Durant. One is a versatile star who thrives in a multitude of environments while the other is the second-best player in the NBA. Losing both of them, regardless of injury, is an occurrence no team can overcome. There's also zero guarantee that top-tier players would pinpoint Golden State as a hot spot if president Bob Myers opened up the cap space to pursue one of the big free agents of the summer.

Do we know for sure that players would flock to the Warriors if the situation presented itself? Kerr has done a splendid job despite the recurring injury bug hitting his roster, Curry is a superstar and Green is versatile, but there's no clear perception of how soon-to-be free agents view the former NBA champions.

There's also criticism pointed towards their training staff in the wake of Durant's injury, who was cleared to play in Game 5 despite not being at full strength. Now his future is a mystery, and so the Warriors would be wise to stick with old reliables for the time being.

Durant is better than Thompson. He has a Most Valuable Player Award to his name (he won the award in the 2013-14 NBA season with the Oklahoma City Thunder) and is arguably the best player to ever suit up in a Warriors uniform. You can't replace individuals like Durant, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard among others.

With that said, Durant was never signed to be a life-long Warrior.

Kevin Durant Draymond Green Stephen Curry Klay Thompson DeMarcus Cousins
CP

Sure, the Warriors would've loved to have him, Curry, and Thompson together for eight or so years, but it was never realistic. The goal was to win championships. They won two in three years, and if they were at full force in the postseason, they may have won three in a row. Their dominance on a nightly basis in both the regular season and postseason was incredible and it's something we may never see again for over a decade. However, it's time for them to move on.

The ensuing months and years are going to be an adjustment for the Warriors and their fans. If they lose both Durant and Thompson, the future is going to be extremely murky. Durant helped the Dubs win two titles. It was a great run, but an Achilles injury is a virtual death sentence in the NBA.

It's not to say that Thompson didn't suffer a disturbing injury, but the fact that he was able to at least walk on his own power before getting looked at is a positive for the Warriors.

Thompson is 29; Durant is 30. Age isn't a factor in this case. If the Warriors lost Thompson to free agency, it would be sad because he was a vital reason for their initial uprising. You can't pay two players nearly a combined $400 million to miss the first year of their contracts.

Signing Thompson to a long-term deal is a risk, but the Warriors have to prioritize doing as such. They can't say goodbye to him after an injury, albeit a devastating one. He means too much to them.