Steve Kerr is entering his 10th season as the Golden State Warriors’ head coach. It’s been a tremendous run for the former point guard, leading the organization out of oblivion to win four NBA championships during that span.
Despite this, Kerr is in his contract year after failing to come to terms with the Warriors’ brass on a contract extension this past offseason.
The championship head coach was asked about his status in San Francisco ahead of Tuesday’s season opener against the Phoenix Suns. He did not provide any real detail outside of indicating that a new deal could come at any time. There is no deadline to get something worked out.
“I prefer not to talk about contract stuff. It’s better that way,” Kerr told reports on Tuesday. “We have a great relationship. There’s no deadline. We could do a contract extension on the last day of the season. I am not going to get into any details.”
That’s pretty much the company line statement. But it must be noted that the Warriors in a period of transition. Longtime general manager Bob Myers opted not to return to the team after enjoying in a great relationship with Kerr. Meanwhile, star guard Klay Thompson is also in the final year of his contract and is likely to test NBA free agency next Summer.
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Steve Kerr coaching record: 473-238, .665 winning %, 4 NBA titles
Kerr, 58, is currently the third highest-paid head coach in the NBA behind the likes of Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) and Monty Williams (Detroit Pistons) at $9.5 million. He’s looking at a significant raise once an extension comes to fruition.
A potential extension is complicated by the fact that Golden State is coming off a down 2022-23 in which it finished with a 44-38 record and lost to the rival Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals.
There is a lot of pressure on the coach and his veteran team this season after they acquired future Hall of Famer Chris Paul to team up with Thompson, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Perhaps, the Warriors’ brass wants to see how the first several weeks play out before committing long-term to Kerr. Whether that would be a mistake given his track record remains to be seen.