This weekend marks the beginning of June on the calendar. It’s the penultimate month of Klay Thompson’s current deal with the Golden State Warriors, and it’s possible that his 13-year tenure with the team is coming to an end. As the decision on his future approaches, neither party has made any significant progress towards a resolution, according to league sources.

The Warriors still want to keep Thompson at the proper price until other facets of their roster retooling are resolved. But they haven’t exactly been pounding on his door to lay the groundwork for an extension (which can be signed at any time). Thompson, 34, appears to be ready to explore the waters of free agency, looking at external options for the first time in his professional career.

Thompson’s previous free agency, in the summer of 2019, resulted in a quick max deal with little drama: five seasons, no club or player options, no tense talks, and no flirting with rivals.

That is not the current landscape. Thompson has spent the previous month travelling and decompressing following an early, bitter finish to a gruelling season. However, June is business time in the NBA. It’s time for Thompson and his agent to determine what options are genuinely available to him, what he wants, and what it would take for Golden State to entice him back. The Warriors will next have to decide whether or not to make the offer.

Thompson wants to win. Don’t anticipate him to pursue the highest possible offer from the Detroit Pistons or Charlotte Hornets, even if it’s the right financial or leverage move. However, lots of cap-space teams have an easier route to contention than the Warriors. This includes the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Orlando Magic.

Thompson is not the biggest free-agent fish. Paul George, who has a player option with the Clippers for next season, is the most intriguing veteran available on the open market. His decision to return to Los Angeles or flee abroad will have an impact on others. Thompson is one of many dominoes behind him, depending on a team’s priorities, falling somewhere between Malik Monk, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DeMar DeRozan, D’Angelo Russell, and Buddy Hield.

Some of these cap-space teams will miss out on their first, second, and even third alternatives (and will most likely realise this by mid-June) and will have to pivot. Thompson remains durable and accurate. He played 69 and 77 games the previous two seasons, hitting 569 three-pointers at a 40 percent clip.

His age and injury history may deter a team from making a long-term commitment, but a shorter-term, higher-paying deal, similar to the Bruce Brown Jr. or Fred VanVleet structures from last summer, could appeal to both sides. That would help clubs like the Thunder, Sixers, and Magic, all of whom could have used his floor spacing in the playoffs, without putting them in a financial bind later on.

Other circumstances, such as a sign-and-trade suitor or a non-taxpayer midlevel offer (estimated to be in the $13 million range) at an appealing landing spot, could theoretically materialise, but those winning cap-space teams appear to be the most likely to lure Thompson away from the Warriors in the simplest way.

The Warriors’ coaching staff is dealing with some uncertainty. Kenny Atkinson, the lead assistant, is one of the front-runners for the Cleveland head coaching post. If Atkinson gets it, Steve Kerr, who will be busy as Team USA’s head coach in July, will have to fill a massive gap on the bench next to him.

According to league sources, the Warriors are considering adding a coaching staff, independent of whether the Cavaliers hire Atkinson. This comes after the departures of Mike Brown and Jama Mahlalela in recent years, as well as the devastating loss of Dejan Milojević in January.

According to league insiders, the Warriors have spoke with former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. That is not expected to happen. However, it demonstrates the Warriors’ intention to hire a well-known assistant, with hints that they are looking for either a previous head coach or a former player to fill the position. If Atkinson departs, they may add two assistant coaches. The coaching landscape continues to be in flux around the league.

Conversations regarding major personnel moves are just starting to flare up across the league. The Warriors’ huge offseason move last summer, the Jordan Poole-for-Chris Paul trade, came together quickly in mid-June and was finalised the morning before the draft.

So there’s nothing imminent or even deep in the works, but transaction dates are rapidly approaching. Indications continue that the Warriors’ front management expects to be bold and eager to shake up the core, believing that this group was given a chance to keep together at the trade deadline and failed to secure a playoff spot.

What will that turn into? That is difficult to determine without knowing what they will have accessible to them and how they want to negotiate the luxury tax. The Warriors have maintained that they would want to avoid it totally if the opportunity arises, but that they will remain in it if a move is made that they believe will rocket them back into contention. What move or player qualifies? Could this simply be a step-back season, even if it isn’t portrayed as such?

We talked about some of the Warriors’ alternatives on our offseason preview podcast. Two short points to consider: If Brandon Ingram becomes available for trade, I don’t expect the Warriors to be interested. If the Heat sign Jimmy Butler, I expect the Warriors to be involved in some way.