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Klay Thompson says he wants to re-sign with Warriors in 2018, but can he?

Klay Thompson

Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson follows through on a shot during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

AP

Klay Thompson isn’t thinking about the summer of 2018 or 2019. Yet.

Warriors’ GM Bob Myers and company better be.

This summer Stephen Curry will get a max, designated player extension from the team (safe to say Curry is a max player). Kevin Durant signed a one-plus-one deal when he came west last season so he could sign a max contract. That means the two of them will be making north of $36 million each, plus Draymond Green will be making $17.5 million for 2017-18 and $18.5 million the next season. That’s more than $90 million already wrapped up in three players — on a salary cap expected to be in the $108-$109 million range — when it’s time to pay Thompson.

To his credit, Thompson says he isn’t thinking about it, as he told Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt on the A to Z Podcast from the USA Today.

“I try not to think that are ahead, but I’d love to be here for as long as I can. What we’ve built here is so special, and I love living in the Bay Area, so that would be a huge priority of mine … I just feel like if I play hard and work hard every day, I’ll get rewarded no matter what I do, so I’m not going to get caught up with the numbers and how much money I could potentially make because it’ll all come around. You’ve just got to stay humble and be appreciative of what I have. And if I keep working this hard, I’ll be rewarded.

“I think I was raised right, with my Dad (Mychal Thompson, the two-time champion with the Lakers and current broadcaster and radio personality) telling me not to play this game for money but play for the love of it and you’ll be rewarded … I’m happy the way NBA players get paid; we deserve it for the revenue we bring in for this league, and I’m just thankful I’m here. I know if I just keep doing what I do, I’ll be rewarded hopefully for a long time.”


That’s a well-polished answer. Not that he doesn’t mean it, but there’s a lot of moving parts here.

The Warriors have decisions to make. There are questions about their ability to keep Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala past this summer when they need to pay Curry and Durant. What is the max player budget for the team, even one willing to pay some tax? What are the final salary cap and tax lines? How much will the new San Francisco arena under construction change the team’s equation? What veterans can the Warriors get to come in on a cheap contract — such as David West this season — to play for a ring and give them depth?

Thompson doesn’t have to think about the future, but the Warriors do.