It's long been rumored that when Steph Curry leaves Golden State, so too will head coach Steve Kerr. Warriors fans wouldn't blame Kerr for that; the franchise's best player and coach are so intertwined that it's hard to even imagine one being in The Bay without the other.
But that doesn't mean the Warriors are pushing Kerr out the door as Steph Curry closes in on 40 years of age. Quite the opposite, it seems. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the decision-makers would like to bring Kerr back, and bring him back for multiple years to avoid "...A Last Dance scenario," with the Warriors:
The Warriors will soon have to address Steve Kerr's expiring contract... It remains a bit too early to forecast exactly what will happen here, sources say, since Kerr has preferred not to discuss his future during the season, which is his 12th side-by-side with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green... One whisper you do hear emanating from the Bay Area, however, is that the Warriors would prefer to extend Kerr for longer than one season if they ultimately agree to terms on a new deal. It's believed that Warriors officials would rather avoid a Last Dance scenario if they can..."
This is the right call. Say what you want about the Warriors' front office (a lot of it is probably valid) but their desire to keep around the best coach in franchise history is the correct stance. With so much uncertainty surrounding the future of this franchise, having a pillar like Kerr stick around longterm would provide some stability in what feels like the least stable era for this team since before 2014.
Steve Kerr is the best coaching option the Warriors could hope to find
Sometimes, teams on the tailend of a long stretch of winning decide to part ways with a great coach because they simply want to move in a new direction. Often, that's the right direction!
It wouldn't be the right decision with Kerr. He trancends the "good coach" label, and the Warriors should do everything in their power to keep him in Golden State as long as possible, no matter what the roster looks like. Kerr is the best option for coaching a compeititve team, and has shown he can develop a team, too. It feels like an awfully long time ago, but he was the guy who oversaw the development of the original Big 3.
Getting a longterm commitment from Kerr might take some serious convincing on the part of Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy Jr. Kerr has kept his cards close to the chest, but the breadcrumbs may indicate that he's about ready to wind down his coaching career. Getting him to commit to the Warriors for multiple years would stave off some of the dread of a Warriors team post-Steph and Draymond, at the very least.