If Thompson and the Warriors continue to be in such a stalemate, I'm afraid it's really not far from a trade

After Thompson's major injury in 2019, the Warriors management did not "cut the price" as expected, and on the premise that they could not renew Durant's contract, they gave Thompson a five-year, $190 million premium contract.

I thought that after getting a big contract, Thompson would be able to recover quickly - live up to management's expectations and return to the performance he had at his peak. It's just that no one thought that before he officially returned to the game after a major injury, Thompson suffered another "devastating injury".

During a training match before the start of the 20-21 season, Thompson suffered a torn Achilles tendon and was out for two consecutive seasons. Originally, after tearing the cruciate ligament in his left knee at 19, the outside world still had expectations for Thompson - after all, his style of play does not rely on his body like Wei Shao and Rose, and he does have a chance to return to the top.

But after a torn Achilles tendon and two straight seasons of reimbursement, no one believes Thompson will be back to his prime. Sure enough, after returning from two major injuries in a row, no matter how hard Thompson tried, he still struggled to play at his peak again...

And with Thompson missing expectations for two seasons and two seasons back, his five-year contract in '19 is expiring. Based on the "righteousness" of the Warriors management in 19 years and the performance after his comeback did not meet expectations, in fact, Thompson should take the initiative to reduce the contract amount and years.

But Thompson still wants to chase the last big contract of his career, and is unwilling to sign a "cost-effective contract" with the Warriors with a short period of time and a low amount. Otherwise, with Thompson's contribution to the Warriors and his current strength, they would have completed an early contract extension this summer.

If Thompson and the Warriors continue to stalemate like this, I'm afraid they are really not far from a trade

1. There was a serious decline on both offensive and defensive ends, and Thompson was of limited help to the Warriors. If Thompson at his peak can still play the "G6 soup" performance of Thompson, then he wants to sign a long-term salary contract with the Warriors, even if the Warriors don't want to give it.

Even Thompson, who averaged 20+ points per game in the first two seasons, still had the confidence to ask the Warriors management for a contract with a maximum salary. But today's Thompson, compared with the previous two seasons, his personal form and actual season performance have declined a lot.

So far this season, Thompson has averaged 15.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, shooting 40.7% from the field. Individual scores, productivity and efficiency have declined significantly compared to their peaks. In particular, the scoring explosion that Thompson once boasted of is now all but gone.

In addition, due to the decline in physical fitness and movement speed, although Thompson still has a lot of defensive experience, he can no longer guard the opponent's offensive core, and he can no longer be the team's outside defensive gate. This means that Thompson, whose offensive and defensive strength is declining now, is extremely limited in helping the Warriors head-on.

2. Always asking for a long-term salary cap, trading Thompson in advance is the best choice for the Warriors. Judging by Thompson's personal performance after his comeback, he is no longer worthy of a max contract. Coupled with the fact that he has reached the age of 33, the future is almost predictable whether he will return to the top or go further.

In this context, as long as the Warriors management is not stupid, they will definitely not give him another contract with a salary premium. Especially at present, the Warriors are still under huge salary pressure, and their lineup is not far behind the Nuggets, Bucks and other championship contenders in terms of depth and luxury.

Therefore, based on Thompson's personal performance and the team's salary space, the Warriors management will basically not give him a long-term big contract. But with Thompson's current state and fame, there may not be no other team offering him a contract with an annual salary of $25 million to $35 million next year, and once Thompson leaves, the Warriors will not be able to get any chips back.

This means that if Thompson's state is still difficult to recover and insists on asking for a big contract, then the Warriors should let him "brush" better data than a stalemate with Thompson. Then try to trade him for better chips before the trade deadline and get the Warriors back into contention.