Golden State guard Klay Thompson didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about his future during his exit interview on Wednesday, just one day after the Warriors’ season ended abruptly — and just one day after he may have played his final game for the team before entering free agency this summer.

“Considering it’s April 17th, I don’t think I have to pivot that quickly,” Thompson remarked in an interview. “When is free agency? What about July 1st? Yeah, I have some time. “I have some time.”

Thompson may not have given much attention to who he will play for next season, but his teammates Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have considered what it would be like without Thompson.
Following their loss to the Sacramento Kings in the play-in round, Curry stated he couldn’t envision not playing with Thompson, while Green added there isn’t “any scenario where Klay leaves and that’s the best decision for this team and organization.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr stated unequivocally that Thompson must return.

“It means a lot,” Thompson said of his teammates’ and coach’s reactions. “I mean, we’ve experienced the highest and lowest points. Whether we’ve lost a championship, won a championship, or missed the playoffs, we’ve been through it all together, so it means a lot. It makes me glad for the times I’ve spent with them. “That was pretty historic stuff.”


Thompson’s season of growth has ended. Following a sluggish start to the regular season, Thompson was demoted to the second unit one game before the All-Star break. He then went on to play what he described as his greatest basketball of the season over the final three months, regaining his starting job.
Through it all, Thompson said the most important lesson he learned this season was not to be a “frontrunner” — not to avoid bad moments while embracing good ones, as he has in the past.

It helped him identify his top priority moving forward.

“(I) want to keep winning,” Thompson stated. “When you’ve been a part of winning seasons, you don’t want to leave it behind. So, I’d like to win again. One for the thumb would be ideal. I still believe it is achievable… other than that, you simply have to consider what would truly make you happy in the latter years of your work.”

The question for Thompson in free agency is if he can accomplish that somewhere else than Golden State. According to an ESPN source, Thompson appreciates winning more than monetary incentives, so as long as the Warriors find ways to demonstrate their appreciation for Thompson — whether via money or otherwise — he will most likely stay in the Bay Area.


On Tuesday, Draymond Green expressed confidence that the organization would find the correct way to care for Thompson, as it has for all of the Warriors’ legendary core players.

When asked if he felt the ownership group had made that effort, Thompson said he wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Every year, I make my best effort. And the ownership group has been excellent. “I have nothing but good things to say about them,” Thompson stated. “I am not sure how to respond to that. It’s up to them, but in the end, whatever occurs is gravy. It’s been a freakin’ great run.”


Thompson wants any new contract he signs with the Warriors to coincide with the two years remaining on Curry and Kerr’s contracts.

What if this is Thompson’s last contract?

“Maybe,” he replied. “I do not know. When that time arrives, I don’t want to limit my career. That’s something you just do by feel.”