The widespread expectation is that Klay Thompson will be a better player in 2022-23 than during his first season back on the floor after a two-and-a-half years lost to injury. Despite enjoying his first healthy summer since 2018, though, the veteran sharpshooter didn't begin scrimmaging with his teammates until a week prior to tipoff of the regular season, missing all preseason action before taking part in the Golden State Warriors' exhibition finale.

Does extreme caution being exercised by the Warriors' training staff mean Thompson has experienced a health setback? Hardly. It's just a reality of Thompson's NBA career now that he's 32 and has already suffered and recovered from serious back-to-back injuries like a torn ACL and ruptured Achilles tendon.

That didn't stop one local reporter from reading the tea leaves of Thompson's ramp up toward the 82-game grind, though, going so far as to speculate the four-time champion could retire once his current contract expires in 2024.

Thomson forcefully refuted that possibility at the end of Thursday's media availability, calling the notion he'd call it quits in two years “dumb s***” and “absurd.”

Thompson appeared to be referencing comments made by Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle during his Monday appearance on KNBR radio.

“The reality is that Klay does have two more years on his deal,” Letourneau said, per KNBR.com. “I personally would not be shocked if Klay just retired from basketball at the end of that contract. I don’t think it’s going to be between this season and next season. If he does retire in the near future it would be after his contract ends.”

To be fair to Letourneau, he clearly indicated the notion of Thompson's retirement was his personal opinion. It also stemmed from conversations they'd previously had in which Thompson made clear that he's still getting over “mental hurdles” of his injuries, even after acquitting himself well en route to another title.

“He was very open with me about how the trauma from that experience is very real,” Letourneau said. “He’s been doing mediation and visualization. My big takeaway from that conversation was, just because he played well in the Finals, doesn’t mean the aftermath of that Achilles injury and those back-to-back injuries is over. He’s still got mental hurdles to overcome and we all need to realize that, and the Warriors understand that.”

Maybe the Warriors' caution with regard to Thompson playing 5-on-5 and getting back to his normal minutes load is rooted more in his ongoing mental re-acclimation than anyone's admitted publicly. It wouldn't be surprising considering how forthright he's been in the past about sweeping emotional struggles prompted by his injuries.

Either way, one thing is certain: Klay Thompson definitely has no plans to hang it up in 2024.

[KNBR]