Steve Kerr's future at the Golden State Warriors is starting to come into focus as the season draws towards its conclusion, with an expectation that the 4x championship-winning head coach will remain with the franchise on a new deal.
However, discussion of a last dance-style conclusion to the Kerr era may be a little premature, rather the Warriors are reportedly eyeing a new multi-year deal for the 60-year-old.
Warriors preparing unexpected Steve Kerr contract move
There's been some talk of the out-of-contract Kerr returning for just one final season, but Golden State and owner Joe Lacob are planning on having him locked into a new deal that goes beyond 2026-27.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line on Wednesday, the Warriors are looking to avoid a Last Dance scenario which ironically Kerr was involved in as a player with the Chicago Bulls.
"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 while also crossing their fingers that Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody can bounce back as swiftly as possible in 2026-27 from their recent season-ending injuries," Fischer wrote.
It would make some sense for Golden State and Kerr to agree to a multi-year deal. Stephen Curry is only contracted till the end of next season, but the 38-year-old will foreseeably play a further couple of years beyond that.
Perhaps Kerr will remain tied to Curry for as long as the 2x MVP plays at the Warriors, while Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green (both 36-years-old) could also play for multiple more seasons with the franchise.
Steve Kerr remains one of the league's highest caliber coaches
While Golden State fans are often critical of Kerr and some of his rotation decisions, there's little doubt that he remains one of the highest caliber coaches in the league who would attract plenty of interest if he was to depart the franchise.
Kerr signed a two-year, $35 million contract extension in February 2024, making him the highest paid coach of all-time in annual salary. You would think any new deal would exceed the $17.5 million per season.
The Warriors have had a disappointing season that will see them finish 10th in the Western Conference and facing a massive challenge to make it through the Play-In Tournament. Few would argue though that Kerr is a major culprit, rather the raft of injury issues have left the fortunues largely out of the coach's hands.