The Golden State Warriors open the 2023-24 campaign on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns. Don't expect Klay Thompson to have a long-term extension before then, or potentially at all this season, with contract talks stalling.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, "From what I'm told, there's a significant gap in years and money. The negotiations right now, from what I'm told, they're at a dead point. Thompson wants much more than what the Warriors are offering overall in both years and salary. ... As of right now, all signs point to Klay Thompson going into free agency in the summer."

It isn't surprising that the two sides remain apart in negotiations.

From the Warriors' perspective, Thompson is 33 years old and has never had quite the same two-way impact since missing the entire 2019-20 season with a torn ACL and the entire 2020-21 campaign with a ruptured Achilles.

He remains an elite shooter and averaged 21.9 points per game last season in 69 contests, shooting 41.2 percent from beyond the arc. But while Thompson was once one of the better wing defenders in the NBA, he's seemingly lost a step in that regard.

Thompson had a defensive rating of 112.6 last season, per NBA.com, the worst mark of his career. While it was mostly offset by his excellent offensive rating (115.4)—and it should be noted that there's plenty of noise in offensive and defensive rating, given that the other four players on the court need to be taken into account as well—it's become clear that he isn't the same player on the defensive side that he once was.

From Thompson's perspective, however, his next contract is likely to be his last, and perimeter shooters tend to age better than players who rely more on burst and pure athleticism to create offense. Thompson led the NBA in three-pointers made last season despite missing 13 games—he's still an elite weapon in that regard.

At some point, it seems likely that the two sides will find a compromise. By most accounts, both want a reunion.

"There's two sides to every negotiation," Golden State majority governor Joe Lacob said last Wednesday on 95.7 The Game (h/t Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News). "We want him back. He wants to be back."

"It's kind of like Draymond [Green]," he added. "I think everyone needs to just chill a little bit. Let it take its course. My guess is it works out. I can't control it. I can't dictate it. You can't dictate it. Fans can't dictate it. These things have to take their course. There are different parties involved but the intentions are really good."

Green, of course, didn't work out a long-term extension with the Warriors and declined his player option this summer, but ultimately re-signed with the Warriors on a four-year, $100 million deal.

Such a scenario could be in Thompson's future as well. At the moment, an extension doesn't appear to be imminent.