The Golden State Warriors, in addition to all of the other questions they must face this offseason, will also need to re-assemble their coaching staff. At the end of the season, their top two assistants, Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse, informed the organization they would not be returning for 2026-27. Both coaches' contracts expired at the end of this season.
Stotts, for his part, is angling for a return to the Portland Trail Blazers, where he spent nine seasons as the head coach between 2012 and 2021. He was ultimately fired, in part, because of the team's failure to find playoff success with him at the he;m. But with new ownership in place, it seems as though there's at least a sliver of a door open for Stotts to return home. Stotts was the lead assistant and offensive coordinator for the Warriors over the past two seasons.
Stackhouse, who was the head coach at Vanderbilt for five seasons before joining the Warriors, also informed the organization he would be seeking out head coaching jobs this offseason. He got his first official opportunity on Wednesday when it was announced he would interview for the Chicago Bulls' vacancy.
The opening in Chicago might not include Cooper Flagg or a playoff-ready roster, but it could be the perfect opportunity for Stackhouse.
Another name for the Bulls' coaching search: Jerry Stackhouse, fresh off a stint as a Warriors assistant, has emerged as a candidate in Chicago, sources tell @JakeLFischer and me.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 20, 2026
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The Bulls' opening could be the right fit for Jerry Stackhouse
Stackhouse, during his two-year tenure in Golden State, was the defensive coordinator on Kerr's staff. Given all the injuries they faced this season, it's reasonable to cast this year's numbers aside as a sample of Stackhouse's abilities. But, if you remember, the Warriors had the top defense in the entire NBA after their acquisition of Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline in 2024-25.
Granted, Draymond Green was still largely staving off his decline at that point, but Stackhouse found a way to work around the shortcomings of the rotation and leverage the strong on-ball defense of players like Butler and Moses Moody.
The new lead executive in Chicago, Bryson Graham, has emphasised defense and athleticism in his public statements so far, especially surrounding their upcoming picks at 4th and 15th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft. For a coach like Stackhouse without much experience at the NBA level, the wide-open nature of the Bulls' roster could be the perfect opportunity to experiment.
It's certainly not as coveted a job as the Dallas Mavericks' might be after the mutual parting of the organization and Jason Kidd. But Chicago will soon be getting an influx of talent. In addition to their draft picks, they'll be among the most financially flexible teams in the NBA this offseason.
Stackhouse will, of course, have stiff competition. Both Sean Sweeney of the San Antonio Spurs and Micah Nori of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the two most coveted assistants in this cycle, have confirmed interviews with the Bulls.
But Warriors fans should certainly be rooting for Stackhouse as he seeks out this next opportunity.
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