It's not just the playing roster that faces significant uncertainty for the Golden State Warriors this offseason, but also the coaching staff headlined by a now out of contract Steve Kerr.
Kerr's future remains up in the air after the Warriors were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the Play-In Tournament on Friday, yet that hasn't stopped reports of the franchise being interest in a reunion with two-time championship-winning assistant coach Willie Green.
Warriors could bring Willie Green back into the fold this summer
According to ESPN's Anthony Slater and Ramona Shelburne on Monday, Green "is a possibility to return to the staff" after he was axed as head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans after just 12 games this season.
Green spent three years as an assistant coach on Kerr's staff during the peak of Golden State's dynasty, having been part of their back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018 before another run to the NBA Finals in 2019.
He then departed the Warriors to take an assistant role at the Phoenix Suns in the 2019 offseason, spending a couple of years there which included helping the franchise to their first NBA Finals appearance for nearly 30 years in 2021.
That success helped Green land the top job at the Pelicans, but unfortunately that winning feeling from his time with the Warriors and Suns didn't quite translate. New Orleans did make the playoffs in Green's first year, albeit that came after winning just 36 games during the regular season.
The Pelicans did finish with 49 wins during the 2023-24 season, but that was only good for the eighth-seed and they were quickly swept by the one-seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the first-round.
A major decline then ensued amid a host of injury problems, with New Orleans winning just 21 games last season and a further two in the 12 games Green coached this season before his bags were packed.
Willie Green may eye future head coaching role with the Warriors
Green's return to the Warriors could be dependant on whether Kerr himself is back after giving no guarantees in his post-game press conference following Friday's loss to the Suns.
If the 44-year-old is back in the fold within Kerr's coaching staff, that may signal a desire to become a potential successor down the track. While the Warriors are hoping to sign Kerr to a multi-year extension if he does return, any assistant would acknowledge that the top job will almost certainly be up for grabs in the next few seasons.
Green held just a 150-190 record in 340 games as coach of the Pelicans, but his record as an assistant is proof that his potential return could be a beneficial one to the Warriors entering next season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google