Report: Increasing optimism a Klay Thompson extension gets done

When the Golden State Warriors refused to include Klay Thompson in any deal for Kevin Love this summer, they sent a pretty strong message that they see him as a long-term piece.

Ahead of Friday's midnight deadline for rookie contract extensions, the sides remain apart in talks. The gap has shrunk, though, and there is optimism in the Bay Area that a deal will get done, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

Earlier in the process, Thompson's camp was said to be seeking the maximum or something close to it, while the Warriors were offering an annual salary of $2-3 million less. The issue with dropping below the maximum salary from Thompson's perspective is that it also limits an extension to four years instead of five.

If a deal can't be reached by midnight, Thompson would be set to hit restricted free agency next summer, where he'd almost surely command the maximum, deserved or not, from at least one suitor. Thompson probably isn't a player who should get the max, but he is a very good two-way player and a great fit in Golden State, so losing him would definitely lower the team's long-term outlook.