Steve Kerr isn’t expecting early answers ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
The Warriors coach joined 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” on Thursday, and said he anticipates any moves Golden State will make likely coming down to the wire, noting the front office has yet to present him with anything concrete as rumors swirl around the league.
Kerr added that he remains in close contact with Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy as the deadline approaches.
“I talk to Mike pretty much every day, and he keeps me up to speed,” Kerr said. “But honestly, what he told me the other day was that everything’s going to go ’til the last second. There literally hasn’t been a single thing where he’s called me and said, ‘So-and-so offered this or that.’ Not one thing.”
Kerr emphasized that, for now, everything being discussed publicly remains speculation, with no firm offers or clear paths materializing yet. He added that the situation is expected to intensify next week as the deadline draws closer.
“It’s all speculation at this point,” Kerr stated. “It’s going to go down to the wire.”
Kerr noted that Dunleavy currently is overseas scouting prospects and will return soon, at which point the Warriors’ front office will shift into full deadline mode. Still, Kerr acknowledged how disruptive this stretch can be for players and staff, especially given how volatile last year’s deadline proved to be.
“Very strange time of year for the team,” Kerr noted. “Especially, you know, last year was crazy, the trade deadline, what happened, and this year, all the speculation. It’s not easy on anybody.”
Last season’s uncertainty was punctuated by a high-profile swing that never came together, as a potential reunion with Kevin Durant fell apart after Durant made clear he did not want a return to Golden State. The collapse of that deal left the Warriors navigating deadline week without a clear path forward.
That backdrop helps frame Kerr’s hands-off approach this time around, particularly as questions surface about whether injuries or the age of the Warriors’ core could pressure the organization into sacrificing future assets for immediate help — questions that have only intensified amid league-wide chatter, including recent reports linking the Warriors to discussions involving Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But Kerr made clear he’s comfortable leaving those calculations to the front office. Referencing a prior conversation about avoiding deals that mortgage the franchise’s future, Kerr leaned on what he jokingly called a “separation of church and state” between coaching and roster construction.
“My job is to coach the team, and I’m focused on that,” Kerr explained. “It’s Mike’s job and [Joe Lacob’s] job and the whole group, you know, to decide what decisions are made.”
Kerr added that he has full confidence in the organization’s long-term vision, regardless of how the deadline unfolds.
“I have great faith in what they do and in their decision-making,” Kerr said. “Whatever it is, I know they’re not going to jeopardize the franchise’s long-term future unless something really makes sense to them.”
With less than one week remaining before the deadline, Kerr’s expectation remains unchanged: patience, uncertainty — and a finish that likely won’t come until the final seconds.
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