The Golden State Warriors will enter the 2026-27 NBA season with the second-longest tenured coach in the NBA, unless they enter it behind a new voice and a new leader, who will seek to re-open the championship window for Steph Curry\u2019s final years and build a post-Curry future.<\/p>\n
After last Friday\u2019s season-ending loss to the Phoenix Suns<\/a>, Steve Kerr told reporters<\/a> that he would take \u201ca week or two\u201d to decide on his future. There have been few reports, as Kerr seems genuinely unsure as to what his next step is, though there\u2019s been plenty of speculation. Per the latest updates, Kerr won\u2019t be making a decision until next week, at the earliest.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n So what, exactly, is on his mind? What is he weighing as he decides whether to return or cruise into retirement (or perhaps a job in the media)?<\/p>\n It\u2019s impossible to know exactly what Kerr is thinking, but we do, at least, have a fairly good idea. Let\u2019s start with what we know.<\/p>\n The job is his if he wants it<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with the important facts: the Warriors are not contemplating moving on from Kerr. They are waiting to see if Kerr is moving on from them. We can speculate all we want about whether Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy Jr<\/a>. think Kerr is the perfect coach for the team, and my guess is that if Curry were retiring, there might not be an offer on the table for Kerr.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n But Curry is not retiring. He two-time MVP has another year left on his contract and, after the season ended, reaffirmed his desire to play \u201cmultiple\u201d more seasons, and indicated that he is open to contract extension talks in the coming months.<\/p>\n Lacob may pay the bills, and Dunleavy may make the decisions, but Curry runs the show. His stated preference, both publicly and privately, is for Kerr to coach the team. And as long as that is true, there\u2019s a job offer on the table for Kerr.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s without stipulations (more on that in a moment). But there are no meetings being held to determine whether or not the Warriors should bring back Kerr. This is his decision, not the team\u2019s.<\/p>\n But\u2026<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Warriors want some changes<\/p>\n The postmortem reports from the season indicate that the front office \u2014 and the analytics team \u2014 want Kerr to make some changes. There\u2019s been a frustration with the team\u2019s turnover rate, which was the fourth-highest mark in the NBA this year (and while there are plenty of good teams that turn the ball over regularly, the best usually don\u2019t \u2014 the Boston Celtics<\/a>, Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a>, Denver Nuggets<\/a>, and San Antonio Spurs<\/a> all ranked in the top five lowest turnover rates this season). There\u2019s a desire to be less reliant on the three (the Warriors finished first in the NBA in three-point attempt rate, despite Curry missing 39 games and the team finishing just 19th in three-point percentage). And, presumably, there\u2019s a hope that the Dubs can find a better way to flourish in the minutes when Curry sits, which has plagued them ever since Kevin Durant<\/a> left town.<\/p>\n Furthermore\u2026<\/p>\n Golden State wants a longer-term commitment<\/p>\n It seems evident that the stress of Kerr\u2019s contract status weighed on many people throughout the year, and it\u2019s not the first time that that\u2019s happened. And it\u2019s equally clear that the team wants to build a foundation that is fairly stable.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n All of that makes for a funny situation. The Warriors surely will have a contract offer on the table for Kerr \u2026 but only if it\u2019s for multiple years. I would guess that if Kerr re-signs, it will be for a deal that matches the length of whatever Curry\u2019s timeline is. Perhaps a three-year deal for the former, and a two-year extension for the latter.<\/p>\n And then, of course, let\u2019s not forget\u2026<\/p>\n Kerr is still having fun<\/p>\n If you had told me a few months ago that Kerr would walk away from the team, I would tell you it\u2019s because the job is no longer fun for him. It\u2019s a taxing industry, and even the sunniest people can get worn down by it. Remember how unhappy and stressed out Klay Thompson<\/a> appeared by the time he left town? And that\u2019s Klay Freaking Thompson!<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Warriors have been absent a large amount of joy in recent years, and it would be understandable if it took its toll on Kerr.<\/p>\n But it seems like it hasn\u2019t. Kerr appeared energized late in the season by players like Gui Santos<\/a> and Pat Spencer<\/a>. He appeared optimistic about the future of the team with Jimmy Butler III<\/a> in the fold. And most importantly, when talking with the media after the season-ending defeat, Kerr stated emphatically that he still loves coaching.<\/p>\n Kerr is fairly transparent. If his holdup was that he wasn\u2019t sure he still enjoyed this, he would have stated as much. But he didn\u2019t. Instead, he said simply, \u201cThese jobs all have an expiration date.\u201d And that gives us the insight we need to determine the biggest thing at play.<\/p>\n Does he think he\u2019s right for the job?<\/p>\n Kerr does not always follow the book. He\u2019s been a part of tension in the locker room, and, more notably, in the front office. Recent reports suggest that some at the top of the organization have grown frustrated with his continued expression of left-leaning political opinions (a bold stance for a team that has had no issue employing players with domestic violence histories).<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n But he\u2019s still a company man at heart. And, like his star player, he is as selfless as he is ruthlessly competitive.<\/p>\n It feels abundantly clear that Kerr is not going to pull the Curry card. He could, to be clear. But he won\u2019t. He\u2019s not going to return simply because he can.<\/p>\n In short, if Kerr is to coach the Warriors next year, it will be because the Warriors want him to coach the team, not just because he can.<\/p>\n That means making the aforementioned concessions. He\u2019ll need to be willing to modernize his offensive system, and possibly upgrade his coaching staff. He\u2019ll have to commit to at least two, and probably three years. He\u2019ll have to show a plan for how to develop young players, including the team\u2019s upcoming lottery pick.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Warriors would likely begrudgingly sign Kerr to a deal without those concessions, but Kerr is big enough to show himself out rather than back ownership into a corner.<\/p>\n So what it really comes down to is this: can the two sides find a happy compromise? Kerr will meet with Lacob and Dunleavy and, in all likelihood, he\u2019ll mostly be sussing out whether those two actually want him back, or if they\u2019re just willing to bring him back to appease Curry. They likely do want him back, as long as some concessions are made, and Kerr will have to determine whether he still wants to coach with those concessions.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a little reminiscent of Bruce Bochy leaving the San Francisco Giants. The organization had just made a dramatic front office shift, and while Bochy could have used the legacy card to stay around longer, he understood that the team was ready to move in a new direction, and he spared everyone the awkwardness that could have ensued.<\/p>\n