At the moment, one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Golden State Warriors is Klay Thompson’s extension talks. The sharpshooter is set to become a free agent on July 1 unless he and the team agree to a new contract beforehand. So far, no deal has been made yet, and Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s latest update doesn’t say much.

“We’re hopeful, but we’ll see,” Dunleavy said. “We got to figure things out.”

Interestingly, the Warriors General Manager also touched on the sentimental side of the whole situation, based on an X post by Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.

“Dunleavy says it would be impossible to fully take out the emotion of Klay negotiations, but the NBA ‘is a business,’” Johnson wrote.

It’s not surprising why emotions are involved here; Golden State is on the verge of losing a player who’s cemented his mark on the franchise throughout the past decade.

Klay Thompson was drafted by as the 11th overall pick in 2011. After a quality rookie campaign, he became a full-time starter as a sophomore, marking the beginning of the Splash Brothers era. There’s no need for long paragraphs on what happens next, as any basketball fan would know how the Dubs dominated the league in the years to come. Winnng four championships and cementing themselved in the NBA’s history books, the Warriors changed the landscape of basketball with their small-ball, three-point centered style of play.

As for the shooting guard himself, Thompson has averaged 19.6 points and 3.5 rebounds through 11 seasons with Golden State (sidelined from 2019-2021 due to injuries). He garnered five All-Star appearances while being named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2019.

Along with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, Thompson was part of the famed trio that spearheaded the dynasty in San Francisco. All three are practically synonymous with the franchise, which is exactly why many find it hard to fathom how Thompson could possibly be suiting up for a new team next season.

It can be noted though, that his performance this past year was not up to par with what Warriors fans are used to. Thompson experienced a dip in averages and had multiple rough stretches that resulted in him being benched at one point. And to make the overall picture worse, the Warriors missed the playoffs just two years after winning a title.