Draymond Green Says Steve Kerr Might No Longer Be Warriors Coach Next Season

The moment Green was referring to came in the closing seconds of Friday’s 111-96 play-in loss to the Phoenix Suns.

After Kerr subbed Curry and Green out of the game, he gathered them together on the sideline, and told them, “I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I love you guys to death. Thank you.” The NBA posted the footage on its social media handles, but it wasn’t something Steve Kerr had anticipated.

To the uninformed, Kerr’s contract expired at the end of this season, and he has given himself a week or two before sitting down with owner Joe Lacob and GM Mike Dunleavy to discuss his future.

Speaking to reporters after the loss, Kerr stated that he “still loves coaching” but acknowledged the reality of where things stand.

“These jobs all have an expiration date,” Steve Kerr said. “There’s a run that happens, and when the run ends, sometimes it’s time for new blood and new ideas and all that.”

Kerr continued, “And if that’s the case, then I will be just nothing but grateful for the most amazing opportunity any person could have to coach this franchise, in front of our fans in the Bay and to coach Stephen Curry, to coach Dray and the whole group.”

Having said that, Steve Kerr himself put his return odds at around 50-50 in a conversation with ESPN before Monday’s exit interviews.

Steve Kerr and Warriors Front Office Face Crucial Decision

While Kerr might be taking a week or two before he makes his call, the Golden State front office is not waiting passively.

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Anthony Slater, Joe Lacob wants to hear Kerr express a genuine hunger to continue, and not a mere reluctant acceptance based on loyalty to Curry and Green.

And if Steve Kerr commits to returning, the organization wants him signed to a multiyear deal rather than a single farewell season built on sentiment.

Furthermore, Draymond Green, who holds a $27.6 million player option for next season, was also candid about his own uncertainty alongside Kerr’s.

“I’ve never been so uncertain since earlier in my career in what happens next,” he said.

Curry, for his part, has one season and $62.6 million remaining on his contract and has expressed interest in extension talks, but the biggest variable heading into the offseason is whether Steve Kerr will still be coaching him.

That being said, teammates have also felt the weight of it.

“They did so much for the organization,” forward Gui Santos said. “I love being coached by Steve. Draymond, I love having Draymond on the team. Steph, I don’t need to say anything about him. It would be great to have all of them together next year, too.”

Steve Kerr finishes his 12th season having led the Warriors to four championships and six Finals appearances in eight years. Whatever comes next, the conversation has already shifted to who might replace him if he walks away.