The summer came and went with some of Jordan Poole's contemporaries getting the type of massive payday he definitely deserves. As the deadline for rookie contract extensions quickly approaches, though, there's still no indication the Golden State Warriors will lock Poole up long-term before he hits restricted free agency.

General manager Bob Myers addressed the state of contract talks with Poole's representatives on Thursday, telling reporters Warriors management will meet with them when the team returns from its preseason trip to Japan in early October.

“We're gonna meet with his reps I think after Tokyo, and sit down for the first time and start having that conversation. I think that's about two weeks out from the deadline for him. Where that will go, I don't know. I know that they wanna meet and I know we wanna meet. We'll see what the next two weeks give us.”

Poole and the Warriors have until October 17th to put pen to paper on a rookie-scale contract extension. He'll become a restricted free agent next summer if there's no agreement reached by then, allowing Poole to sign with the team of his choosing but leaving Golden State the option to match that offer sheet, retaining him for the foreseeable future.

No matter what happens between now and the next three-plus weeks, Poole's future in Golden State seems all but certain. Steve Kerr always includes him among the Warriors' “foundational six” while discussing lineups and playing rotations ahead of 2022-23, while both Myers and owner Joe Lacob have made abundantly clear that keeping Poole in the Bay long-term is an organizational priority.

The question now is if that aim will be reflected in a lucrative extension before Golden State officially tips off their title defense in the regular season.

Poole certainly earned it a year ago, building on the breakout second half of his sophomore season by establishing himself as one of the league's most dynamic perimeter scorers. He continued that momentum in his playoff debut, hitting a scorching 62.7% of his twos and shooting 39.1% from deep on a high volume of difficult attempts.

Poole's lack of functional strength and lateral quickness on defense was frequently exposed by star ball handlers under the postseason pressure cooker, but he at least put up a more dogged fight on that end the deeper Golden State went into its title run. Kerr believes he possesses lots of untapped defensive potential, too.

The approximately $100 million contracts afforded to Jalen Brunson and Anfernee Simons should serve as a jumping off point for contract negotiations between the Warriors and Poole's representation. A potential extension for Tyler Herro before the deadline would be a helpful comparison, too.

But there's a legitimate argument that Poole's play while helping Golden State to a championship makes his market-value slightly higher than those peers', and a major spike in the salary cap come 2025—the second year of his would-be extension—only strengthens his case for a bigger deal. On the other hand, Golden State also has to deal with Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green (who has a player option for 2023-24) hitting free agency next summer, and Lacob has already blanched at the prospect of a $400 million payroll.

Only the LA Clippers spend like the Warriors, but there's still a limit to the amount Lacob is willing to pay. Will that affect extension talks with Poole? No doubt.

The most likely scenario here remains that Golden State lets this season play out before addressing any of its most pressing financial decisions. But if the Warriors want to avoid the prospect of paying Poole the max, locking him up now is certainly in their best interest, before rebuilding teams flush with spending power come calling in restricted free agency next July.

[NBC Sports Bay Area]