Klay Thompson has repeatedly expressed his desire to remain with the Golden State Warriors, but that doesn't mean it will come cheap. Much like All-Star teammate Draymond Green, Thompson will wait until free agency to reap the benefits of a much more lucrative payday.

People around league circles have come to the conclusion that the Warriors won't be able to keep all their stars, given the series of discounts each of their players have given the franchise at some point or another. ESPN's Zach Lowe raised the same curiosity, as it could be either Thompson or Green who will stay, with only one big check left to hand out.

What if Golden State signals it doesn't want to pay full freight for one of Klay Thompson (a free agent this summer) and Draymond Green (a free agent in the summer of 2020, potentially up for a massive designated player extension after this season)? Thompson has no plans to take a discount, and the Warriors don't expect him to, league sources say. Green already is dealing with small injuries; the league is curious about how his game will age.

Thompson's shooting stroke is likely to age even better than fine wine, having shot career highs from the field (48.8 percent) and from deep (44 percent) last season. Green, meanwhile, has struggled with nagging injuries the past two seasons and will be asking for a long-term contract at age 30 — potentially putting the Warriors at risk of his body tailing off at some point during his deal.

Thompson's ability to hit the open jumper will likely remain untouched through the years, and his record as an NBA iron man only became challenged last season when the injury plague hit and forced all four All-Stars out of the court at once late in the season.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Warriors' Klay Thompson, Moses Moody, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Steve Kerr, Jonathan Kuminga and Stephen Curry

Jack Winter ·

Dejounte Murray with question marks around him

Shervon Fakhimi ·

Warriors Stephen Curry with Steve Kerr and Klay Thompson after loss to Kings

Jay Postrado ·

That memory was quickly erased when Thompson miraculously came back from a Game 1 ankle injury in the NBA Finals to start in the next game without a setback.

While talents like Green's are seldom seen, it's hard to fathom a resilient front office refusing to pay Thompson and paying Green instead the next summer, given that the team's calculative risks have gotten them this far during the last four seasons.