A veteran NBA insider who has covered the Golden State Warriors for years believes despite head coach Steve Kerr not having a contract after this season, he is a sure bet to return next season and beyond.
Entering the week, the Warriors are several games under .500 and a game out of the final NBA Play-In spot. This season has been a massive disappointment and it seems to confirm Golden State’s dominance over the league has ended and they will have many huge questions to answer in the offseason. The most notable of which is the future of their head coach.
- Steve Kerr record: 39-33 (2020-21), 53-29 (2021-22), 44-38 (2022-23), 21-25 (2023-24)
The team legend is not signed beyond this season and it has opened the door to speculation his tenure with the organization could soon come to an end. However, veteran NBA insider and former Warriors beat writer Mark Medina says don’t expect the 58-year-old to be doing anything else but coaching in Golden State later this year.
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Golden State Warriors ‘figuring out tough decisions before proceeding’ with Steve Kerr contract talks
“I would be surprised if Steve Kerr is not back,” Medina told Sportsnaut. “They haven’t agreed to an extension but I haven’t gotten any indications that either side is feeling this is the end of it. Obviously, in professional sports things can always change. [Former Warriors General Manager] Bob Myers left his front office position last summer, but there was more of a build-up with Bob not coming back as opposed to Steve.
“Where, technically, the similarities are Bob Myers wasn’t able to reach an extension before the end of last season. Steve Kerr’s on the final year, but circumstances seem a lot different than that. I haven’t gotten any indication Steve won’t be back and won’t be able to agree to a deal.”
Then if he is highly likely to return after this frustrating season, why haven’t Kerr and the Golden State Warriors agreed to a new deal yet? Medina believes that this aging former dynasty has some major decisions the new front office led by Mike Dunleavy Jr. wants to take care of first this summer before getting to Kerr’s new deal.
“A lot of times in normal circumstances, coaches don’t want to have lame-duck status,” said Medina. “I think, in fairness, a coach’s contract doesn’t count against the cap — as far as how they manage the roster — but I think the team is trying to manage what they have this season and figure out tough decisions there before proceeding with everything else.”
“While everything in the NBA can always be fluid, I just never got any indication that Steve won’t be back. … They could be at a crossroads of having to make some tough decisions in the offseason. Similar to the Lakers, I don’t think they are going to do anything dramatic before the trade deadline.”
The Warriors return to action on Monday in a road clash with the Brooklyn Nets on NBA TV.
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