With Steve Kerr’s contract set to expire after the 2025-26 NBA season, many questions have surfaced regarding the Warriors coach’s future.
Kerr is in the final year of a two-year, $35 million contract extension that he signed back in February 2024, and Golden State’s principal owner Joe Lacob believes there is no reason to discuss or negotiate while the Warriors are in the middle of the season.
“I think Steve has answered that question; there’s nothing more I can say,” Lacob told Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard. “He has said we’re going to wait until after the season. That’s 100% accurate. We’ve discussed it. No point in talking about it now.
“He’s got a job to do. Let’s just let people focus — I mean, why would you do that now? Let’s just focus on the season. Really, it’s up to him. What does he want to do? And he doesn’t know, I don’t think. So, we’ll have that discussion later.”
During the first day of Golden State’s training camp, Kerr explicitly stated that he is not concerned about his expiring contract situation and plans to reassess it once this season is over.
“I’m very comfortable just going into this season with a year left [on the deal],” Kerr said. “I’m so aligned with [GM] Mike [Dunleavy] and [owner] Joe [Lacob]. There’s no reason for discussion [or] concern. This is kind of a point in our relationship where it’s like, let’s just see how it is at the end of the year.”
The four-time champion coach also has expressed his interest in staying with the Warriors beyond the 2025-26 NBA season.
“I love my job,” Kerr added. “I love what I’m doing every day … hopefully I’m here for another few years. Hopefully, we run it back, and we keep going with this group. But I like the fact that we can just kind of do it how we want to do it.
Additionally, when asked about the job Kerr has done this season, Lacob instead evaluated the 12-year head coach’s entire résumé in Golden State.
“I don’t look at it in one season,” Lacob responded. “I look at it — he’s been our coach for 12 years. I think you can make the assumption that I think a lot of Steve Kerr. He’s a great coach. He’s been very successful. He’s won us four championships. Been to six Finals.
“He is a great human being, I really, really, really respect him, admire him. But it depends what he wants to do and how he feels at the end of the season, and where we’re at. We’ll take all of it, put it into a bowl, and figure it out. And I’m not really very worried about it, and I don’t think he’s very worried about it, either.”
The Warriors currently are eighth in the Western Conference standings with a 29-27 record through 56 games.
Only time will tell what the future holds for the winningest coach in Warriors franchise history, but whether or not he stays in Golden State, Kerr’s legacy will continue to live on.
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