The big question surrounding the Golden State Warriors right now has to do with the future of head coach Steve Kerr. There was speculation all season about whether this would be his final year coaching the franchise, with his contract up and recent rumors seeming to suggest that Kerr is leaning in the direction of walking away.
After such a trying year, that would make sense. While it seemed like Kerr couldn’t walk away after that invigorating, nostalgic win against the Los Angeles Clippers in the Play-In, maybe he viewed that as the closest thing the Warriors were going to get to riding off into the sunset. He can see the writing on the wall and knows how hard, if not impossible, it will be to win another championship with this aging roster.
No matter what he chooses to do, he's a phenomenal coach and whoever replaces him will have unimaginably large shoes to fill. But the Warriors will have to find a new coach, so here are three possibilities.
1. Billy Donovan
Billy Donovan just decided to step down as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls after a disappointing 31-51 campaign. He’s got a lot of experience and had some good years with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Donovan would be an uninspiring choice, but at least he’d walk into the locker room and command some respect from whichever veterans are left on the team given his experience. The next potential candidate may not command that same respect.
2. Todd Golden
Todd Golden’s name has already come up in rumors around a potential Kerr replacement. He’s currently the head coach at the University of Florida and led that program to a national title in 2025 with Will Richard on the team
Golden has Bay Area roots as he played college ball at Saint Mary’s in Moraga and coached at the University of San Francisco for several years before heading to Florida. He’s also reportedly close with the Lacob family.
Choosing him would be a very clear signal that the Warriors are looking to rebuild and are not trying to squeeze out whatever remnants of competitiveness still exist with this aging core. The San Francisco Giants hired Tony Vitello straight from the college ranks to be their manager, so maybe the Warriors will take a page out of the book of the baseball team just up the street.
Both Kerr and Mark Jackson were first-time NBA head coaches when they were hired though so owner Joe Lacob has a type. Speaking of Jackson…
3. Mark Jackson
This one is admittedly unlikely, but if the sole goal was to keep Stephen Curry happy and ensure he remains with the Warriors until the end of his playing career, then bringing back Jackson could be a smart move. He helped set the Warriors on their path to being a dynasty and Kerr helped them fully realize that vision.
But Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson all clearly had a lot of love for Jackso. If the goal for the next few seasons is just to ride the nostalgia train without Kerr, Jackson would make sense to bookend the dynasty.
There are plenty of other candidates the Warriors can, and will consider if Kerr decides to step down. There’s also a chance he comes back, but it just feels like the Kerr era is over which means, sadly, it’s time to start thinking of replacements.Â
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