The Golden State Warriors extended Gui Santos on a three-year, $15 million deal. It was a nice reward for the solid play Santos has brought to the table, but it may also tell us something about the future of head coach Steve Kerr.
After news of the Santos extension broke, Bay Area sports insider Tim Kawakami lent his speculation and read the tea leaves on what the deal could mean for Kerr.
"Big-picture note: I'm not saying any decision has been made about Steve Kerr's future by team execs or Kerr, but ..This is the kind of contract that fits with Kerr continuing as the coach past this season. Because Gui Santos is very much a Kerr kind of player," Kawakami wrote on social media.
Santos extension may tell us what Steve Kerr's Warriors future will be
This is obviously just speculation from Kawakami, but he understands the Warriors as well as anyone and the logic is very reasonable. Why would the Warriors invest multiple years in a player like Santos unless they were fairly confident that Kerr would be coming back?
Santos seems like the kind of player who can adapt to whatever situation he is in, and will play hard no matter what, leaving Kerr to speak highly of him which may provide a hint to the coach's future.
Kerr himself has remained quiet on the subject of his future with Golden State this season. He's in the final year of his contract and has made it clear that he's going to make a decision following the season. With how frustrating this year has been between the injuries and the tumultuous end of the Jonathan Kuminga saga, it would not be a massive shock if Kerr decided he'd had enough or at the very least needed a break.
At the same time, maybe he feels some sense of loyalty to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and wants to walk off the court one last time with his arm around both of those guys. That trio, and Klay Thompson of course, are the main core that many people will think about when reminiscing on the Warriors dynasty. Imagining anyone else but Kerr as the head coach of the Warriors would be a shock to the system for many fans.
While it would be tough for the Warriors to win a title again unless they swing a huge trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo or something like that, perhaps Kerr is content to coach the team his way, with players like Santos who try to serve the system rather than players like Kuminga who wanted to do things their way.
We won't know for sure until the end of the season, but the Santos signing may hint that Kerr will be back next year.