Klay Thompson's career with the Warriors couldn't possibly finish like that...could it?

After a season in which his future was firmly planted as a subplot, Klay Thompson's free agency has all of a sudden become the biggest talking point after the Golden State Warriors' elimination on Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings.

It's not just that the season came to an end, it's the manner in which it all played out. Thompson's 952nd career game for the Warriors may have been his worst, and more importantly, it may have been his last.

Regardless of the outcome in free agency, Klay Thompson's legacy is set as one of the Golden State Warriors' greatest ever players

Thompson went scoreless for the first time since his rookie season, having shot 0-of-10 from the floor and 0-of-6 from three-point range. If things couldn't get any worse, former teammate Harrison Barnes turned the knife even further with a couple of strong isolation plays that left Thompson defensively helpless in the fourth-quarter.

As the result went beyond doubt and the final minutes closed in, attention turned to whether this was going to be last time Thompson would wear a Warrior jersey. The 34-year-old has been one piece of the key quartet that's underpinned Golden State's success over the last 10 years, and he won't be going anywhere if the other three have anything to do with it.

Speaking post-game, head coach Steve Kerr and long-time teammates Stephen Curry and Draymond Green reiterated their desire for Thompson to remain with the franchise for years to come.

"I could never see myself not with those two guys (Green and Thompson). I understand this league changes and there's so many things that go into it and we're not going to play forever, but we've experienced so much together. "

- Stephen Curry

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect to Thompson's performance on Tuesday was the fact it came after a strong stretch of form for the five-time All-Star. The veteran sharpshooter averaged 19.4 points on 41.8% three-point shooting over the last 28 games of the regular season, helping Golden State to the third-most wins in the league during that span.

Yet regardless of Thompson's bounceback to form -- which included a team-high 25 points in less than 20 minutes against the Utah Jazz just three days ago -- the final game of the Warriors' season is likely to leave a pit in the stomach of fans and all those involved in the organization.

That couldn't possibly be the final game of Thompson's career at the Warriors? A franchise legend can't go out like that can he? That's the initial feeling for many, yet does it really matter? Whatever happens in free agency, Thompson won't be remembered for this final game.

Sure, it may take a while to come to terms with, but the four-time champion will ultimately be remembered for all the success he brought to a franchise that had been down-and-out for a long time prior to his arrival.

Whether he's played his last game for the Warriors or whether he plays for another five years, Thompson's historical legacy is set as one of the franchise's greatest ever. A disastrous performance on Tuesday certainly doesn't change that.