The Golden State Warriors are anticipated to have one of the more exciting offseasons in the NBA this season, almost solely because nobody knows what will happen with them.

After a long decade of dominance that many could argue extended well-past its expiration date with a championship in 2022, the biggest storyline for the franchise - and most impactful decision, most likely - revolves around Klay Thompson and his pending free agency. Only three seasons ago, it was unfathomable that the 5-time all-star and 2nd greatest shooter of all time would play for a team that wasn’t in the Bay Area… but after a pair of “down” years (being relative to how good Klay was before his injuries) where he wasn’t always himself, there’s been thoughts that he could be in the hunt for somewhere else to get his swag back and keep on chasing wins.

The hope, of course, is that he gets that swag back in a Warriors uniform. Potential cap constraints and a question about what role he now fills, however, may prevent that from happening. It’s been made clear that Thompson is looking for more of a payday than reportedly the Warriors are willing to give with their obvious needs to improve the roster. While it was also reported by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater that he wants to win, there are teams with clearer routes to title contention - and more cap room - that could give him the opportunity if he won’t take a lesser contract to stay with Golden State.

One team that everyone seems to think has a shot at employing Thompson for the next few seasons is the Orlando Magic. Early last month, NBA insider Shams Charania reported that there was “mutual interest” between the two parties, and with the Magic having an enormous amount of cap space to pursue both Thompson and potentially another key addition, there’s no reason to believe they won’t make a push for him.

The Magic are a young team, one that made a little noise in the first round of this season’s playoffs from the play of emerging star Paolo Banchero. They took the Cleveland Cavaliers to 7 games, with Banchero going shot-for-shot with proven playoff riser Donovan Mitchell in a lot of key stretches, so they certainly could see themselves as ready to make a push in a relatively-weak Eastern Conference. If they can add Klay Thompson and another veteran with a versatile skillset, they could make a run.

There’s rumors that the Philadelphia 76ers could be interested in Thompson’s veteran 3-and-D presence as well, now that they have Tobias Harris’s albatross of a contracts off their books. Philly underachieved this year in large part due to injuries to Joel Embiid throughout the regular season and into the playoffs against the New York Knicks, a series they very well could have won had he been healthy… and had they rostered a movement shooter like Klay as insurance for that. Another team which was scarcely mentioned was the Oklahoma City Thunder, another young and versatile team who just battled their way to the #1 seed in a brutal Western Conference this year. OKC, however, is expected to go after a true big after the Dallas Mavericks pummeled them in the paint and on the glass, so they present a less-likely option than the other two landing spots.

But what about his chances to stay in Golden State? Although the Warriors probably can’t offer him the contract he’s looking for without almost entirely losing their ability to contend - barring Klay reaching heights he hasn’t since the 2018-2019 season and giving Steph Curry a viable secondary scoring option in-house - this is still the only team he’s ever known. There’s also a clearly-defined featured role for him, and not to mention the respect of his peers who’ve gotten to know him over a few seasons on this team. Even if the Warriors do get a second star, because of who his backcourt running mate is as a player, there will be plenty of shots with his name on them.

The reason the Magic and the Sixers make less sense is that right there. The Magic don’t have a clear #2 option as of now, but it’s likely that whoever they swing for in free agency aside from Thompson will be that guy, or they’ll look to try and keep getting Franz Wagner reps so he can continue his drastic improvement arc and they can be perennial, self-made contenders quicker. The Sixers have a defined pecking order with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, so while Klay could see plenty of open looks, their iso-ball and transition-heavy offenses will still leave the lion’s share of shots to those two guys who thrive - and take most of the shots in - those schemes.

While it’s clear Steph is the alpha on the Warriors team, he’s the most unselfish one in the league and he can literally fit with anyone. If it’s Klay who’s got the hot hand, Steph will make a conscious effort to not only find him, but to make sure he’s got his guy the space he needs to get open. If the Warriors were to bring in another good off-ball player like Paul George, it’s then all about the flow of the offense and we’ve seen in the past that Curry has no issue getting out of the way for others - including Klay. It’s hard to tell if guys like Banchero, Wagner, Maxey, and Embiid can do that.

As for the Warriors, they’d be worse off without Klay unless they can significantly overhaul the structure of the roster, which they likely can’t. Thompson is one of their few reliable floor spacers and, while he’s not quite the perennial all-defensive contender he once was, he put up some good defensive ratings on bigger wings and while covering guys who didn’t require as much footspeed to defend: For the physical tools he’s lost, he hasn’t lost the game IQ that made him such a major contributor to 4 NBA championships. And of course, we’ve seen that he can still get hot in a flash, an ability that has shown no signs of slowing down despite other declines in his game. It’s a unique facet of his that few - if any - can replicate.

It’d be in the team’s best interest to bring him back for basketball reasons, especially if he’s willing to come off the bench more often, but it’d also be important for the culture of the team that he played a huge role in settling in the history books, and out of respect for what he’s done as a legend in the Bay. It was never a question that he’d be a Warrior for life until this past season, and for the sake of what he’s done for the franchise, he deserves to retire in the blue and gold after spending his whole career there.

The pursuit for a 5th ring in the Stephen Curry era should take a forefront in the front office’s mind, and Klay Thompson should be a key consideration in how that happens. It will be on them to ensure that he gets back, although to a degree it’s also on Klay to be willing to take the steps to make it happen. Should we expect a massive paycut akin to a veteran minimum? Absolutely not, his game’s worth more than that and he knows it. But winning requires sacrifice, and it has to come from him to a degree in order for things to work out. Maybe it’s less than the Magic or Sixers can give him, but it means all that much more, and that’s something you can’t put value on.

And ultimately, that’s the outcome that has the best chance of happening. While it’s hard to make it a definite claim, it’s also hard for a player to walk away when they’ve been through so many highs and lows with one franchise their whole career. There’s still a path back to the mountaintop of the NBA that goes through Golden State, and not only will the Warriors make the moves necessary to get their shot at making it back, but it’s more likely than not that Klay Thompson will be a part of that.

(Photo credit: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)