Golden State’s preference of keeping Thompson will have to coalesce with its goal of shedding salary. Everybody knows it doesn’t make sense to field a $400 million lottery team. Majority owner Joe Lacob has been vocal about possibly dipping under the luxury tax threshold.

The Warriors are roughly $41 million over the tax. Thompson reportedly turned down a two-year, $48 million extension last winter. Both retaining him and cutting under the tax line would likely require him to take even less than that on an annual basis.

“I wouldn’t say we’re at a point now where we’re saying we got to be out of the tax or we got to be under a certain apron or anything like that,” Dunleavy said. “We’re going to look at everything. I think if you’ve got a team that you feel can contend for a championship, you do what it takes financially. … You know how Joe is with his willingness to spend and compete, I don’t think there will be any restrictions, but we’ll also be prudent.”

How to build a championship contender around Curry, Green and Thompson at this stage of their careers is the real question. It might not be possible. Golden State needs a reliable second scorer next to Curry. They need a shooter to supplant Thompson in the starting lineup and reduce his minutes. They need more athleticism to apply ball pressure and speed up their pace.

Some of those needs are on the current roster and under contract. Most are not.

The Warriors likely don’t have their first-round pick this year, but have two future firsts and multiple pick swaps to dangle in trades. Their best asset on the player side is Jonathan Kuminga.

The Warriors still believe in Kuminga, both short- and long-term. But unless he rapidly improves as a passer, off-ball defender and 3-point shooter, he won’t be his fully formed, prime self in the next two years — the two years that matter for the 36-year-old Curry, Green and Thompson.

If another team thinks Kuminga could be the next Paul George, Kawhi Leonard or Jaylen Brown, the Warriors should at least have the conversation about taking their best package and letting them see if they’re right.

“I think we have enough good players in our system, we have enough assets to acquire good players and we have the ability to keep getting better,” Dunleavy said. “So, given that, as long as those guys are still really good, like, yeah, I think we can contend and compete.”

Chris Paul has a non-guaranteed $30 million contract, so the Warriors can either waive him for cap relief or trade him. Andrew Wiggins is going to be the subject of trade speculation given the wing logjam. Perhaps Moses Moody would be more valuable to a rival team than in Golden State, where his role has yo-yoed.

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