Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson 's future remains murky although money matters could factor in after this NBA season. Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after he was called for a foul against the New Orleans Pelicans at ORACLE Arena on January 16, 2019 in Oakland, California. Getty Images/Ezra Shaw

The Golden State Warriors need to find a way to survive without one-half of the Splash Brothers. Klay Thompson, injured during the last NBA finals, underwent surgery for a torn ACL recently and the 29-year-old is expected to be out five to seven months. Doing the math, the best time to probably expect the three-time NBA champion is after the 2020 NBA All-Star games.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Thompson is expected to make a full recovery and that there is no actual timetable on when he will return. The suggested five- to seven-month window was suggested by his agent, Greg Lawrence. And while they are expressing optimism on the return of the streak-shooting guard, the Dubs are not expected to rush Klay back into action until he gets a clean bill of health. Thompson recently agreed to a new five-year deal worth $190 million with the Warriors.

That seven-month recovery period is, of course, a conservative projection. There is a chance Thompson could be back by December. It all depends on how fast he responds to rehab although the Dubs are unlikely to take the risk for obvious reasons. Hence, Golden State will need to get some extra work out of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green to keep the Dubs' afloat. Head coach Steve Kerr could also turn to new recruit D'Angelo Russell to fill in the slack, a timely insertion with the Dubs trying to pick up the pieces for next NBA season.

Aside from Thompson, it will be interesting to see as well how the Dubs can adjust to life without Kevin Durant. The two-time NBA champion opted to move to the Brooklyn Nets where he will be joining forces with Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan. Willie Cauley-Stein has reportedly agreed to sign up with the Warriors in what is likely to be a veteran's minimum, Chris Haynes reported. Though he has not been known to be a heavy scorer, he does plug in a big hole in the middle for Golden State.

Cauley-Stein's coming also raises questions on the future of DeMarcus Cousins with the Dubs. Although he expressed openness of returning to the Bay Area, it remains to be seen if he will come to terms with Warriors management or take his act elsewhere. Several teams are interested in Boogie, a veteran center-forward who is trying to recall his old form coming off an injury-plagued 2018-19 NBA season.

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