2016 Coach of the Year Returns to the Warriors on a Two-Year Deal Following New Contract Agreement
On Saturday evening, Shams Charania reported that the Golden State Warriors reached a two-year agreement with head coach Steve Kerr. Despite speculation about parting ways, Kerr will extend his 12-year tenure behind the Warriors' bench, resolving a major question mark for the team’s offseason. Per Charania, Golden State will continue to employ the highest-paid head coach in the NBA, though specific figures are still unavailable. The question that remains is what changes, if any, these news will bring to the team from the Bay?
Kerr has brought tremendous success to the Bay, including six NBA Finals appearances and four championships in eight years. There’s no doubt that he will go down as one of the most decorated and most influential coaches in league history. Yet, discussion around the basketball world doesn’t always seem to associate his name with sunshine and rainbows. While Kerr made the “small ball” playstyle popular, some fans consider his version outdated and have criticized him for failing to adapt. The game has changed even more since the core years of Golden State’s dynasty, and the lack of recent results makes defending Kerr’s name harder.
What the former coach of the year has certainly done is continuously juggle moving pieces. Since their 2022 championship, the Warriors have made two massive trades, have cycled through an almost entirely different bench, and have dealt with multiple injuries to an aging core. The absence of playoff wins should definitely blame the team’s head coach, but pausing and thinking things through a year-to-year perspective takes some pressure off Kerr. He may not have done the greatest job in cultivating young talent, but building from the ground up has never necessarily been his philosophy.
Switching gears and thinking about the bigger picture, Golden State’s decisions for what should be another busy offseason remain unmade. After all, their season ended at the hands of the Phoenix Suns less than a month ago. Some questions still need answers, like whether the front office will bring back Kristaps Porzingis or how the team will compensate for the long-term absence of two forwards. However, getting clarity on who will lead this squad from the bench helps set this ship on course.
