Steve Kerr Agrees to Return to Warriors on New Deal After Uncertain End to Season

Steve Kerr is officially back as coach of the Warriors for at least two more seasons.

According to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Kerr has agreed to a new two-year deal with the team that will see him continue to lead Golden State, as he has since 2014. The new deal keeps him as the highest paid coach in the NBA annually.

Kerr’s future was briefly in question this offseason, as his contract with the Warriors was up, and he had been clear that he did not plan to negotiate a new deal while the season was ongoing. With a few weeks to think it over, Kerr has decided to keep pushing for one more ring along with Steph Curry.

Kerr is already the second-longest tenured coach in the league, trailing only Erik Spoelstra’s run in Miami. By the end of his new contract, it will have been 14 seasons with the Warriors.

The band has yet to break up after Warriors’ play-in exit and uncertain future

When the Suns bounced the Warriors in the Western Conference play-in tournament, Kerr shared a moment with Curry and Draymond Green that looked like it could signal the end of an era.

With a minute left in the game, the longtime coach was overheard telling Curry and Green, “I don't know what's gonna happen next, but I love you guys to death.”

Kerr’s future with the organization was unknown at that point and after the game, he acknowledged that each head coaching job in the NBA doesn’t last forever but he still has a desire to coach.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen. I still love coaching, but I get it. These jobs all have an expiration date,” Kerr said. “There’s a run that happens, and when the run ends sometimes it’s time for new blood and new ideas and all that. And if that’s the case, I will be nothing but grateful for the most amazing opportunity any person could have to coach this franchise in front of our fans in the Bay, to coach Steph Curry, to coach Dray, the whole group. It may still go on, it may not, I don’t know at this point. But we all need to step away a little bit and then reconvene.”

Golden State’s year was marred by injuries as Jimmy Butler tore his ACL in late January and Curry returned from a knee issue in early April ahead of the play-in. Moses Moody suffered a season-ending injury late in the season and trade deadline acquisition Kristaps Porziņģis struggled to stay available and appeared in just 15 games once he joined the Warriors.

Kerr’s emotional message to Curry and Green could remain relevant as Green has been at the center of trade rumors even after 14 seasons and four titles with the franchise. He has a $27.7 million player option for next season. Green will likely pick that up at this stage of his career and subsequently, the Warriors would need to include at least one of Green or Butler in an outgoing trade package to net a high-earning star. Green and Butler are the only two players on the roster making a salary above $20 million other than Curry.

With the disappointing season, it seemed that there could be more than roster changes in store for the franchise as it looks to capitalize on what’s left in Curry’s career. Kerr will remain at the head of the bench, however, as general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. now looks ahead toward the offseason to build a contender around Curry and the winningest coach in franchise history.

More NBA from Sports Illustrated

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow