Getty Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors is entering the final year of his contract.
The Golden State Warriors are set to go through some significant changes, particularly after former president and general manager Bob Myers stepped down on May 30.
Those changes could very well include a future without current head coach Steve Kerr, who is heading into the final year of his contract with the team. Extension talks are likely to begin this summer if they happen, but without Myers around, some are wondering how smoothly they’ll go.
When former Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams inked a six-year, $78.5 million deal to coach the Detroit Pistons on May 31, making Williams the highest-paid coach in the NBA, it likely changed the fiscal landscape a bit. ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski says Williams’ deal will impact Kerr in particular.
“It’s going to significantly impact the head coaching landscape for high-level coaches, including Miami’s Erik Spoelstra (and) Golden State’s Steve Kerr,” Wojnarowski reported before Game 2 of the NBA Finals on NBA Countdown, as transcribed by Jack Murray of Bleacher Report. “Both of those coaches with one year left, next season, on their deal. Both I’m told in the $8 million annual range right now.”
Kerr Is Currently Making Under $10 Million a Year According to Reports
The details of Kerr’s current contract aren’t public knowledge, but it ends after the 2023-24 season. The current Warriors coach admitted in 2018 that he had signed an extension, but he refused to reveal any more information about it. Sportico reported Kerr making $9.5 million in 2021, and Woj said it was closer to $8 million.
If and when Kerr and the Dubs talk about an extension, Woj thinks Kerr may be able to cash in on the open market and could push for more from Warriors brass as a result.
“Both coaches—when you talk to owners, executives around the league—if they were on the open market, might be able to get what the new NFL coach in Denver [Sean Payton] got, in the neighborhood of $20 million a year,” Woj added, in reference to Spoelstra and Kerr.
Woj: Keep an Eye on Negotiations Between Kerr & Warriors This Summer
Steve Kerr addresses his future. There’s one year left on his deal. He said it’s not yet time to discuss an extension. He wants to keep coaching Warriors long term, but understands realities of business. “Look at your phone every day and see the next Hall of Fame coach fired.”
As Wojnarowski reported on May 30, Warriors owner Joe Lacob may be looking to promote his son Kirk or, more likely, current vice president of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr., to replace Myers. Considering Myers hired Kerr and the two remain close, it’s fair to wonder how well the team’s next GM will be able to handle Kerr’s next deal.
“Bob and I have a great friendship, a great working relationship, and I absolutely hope he comes back,” Kerr said in mid-May about Myers prior to the former GM’s exit, per NBC Sports. “But it’s also a case where I want what’s best for Bob, and if he decides that he’s going to leave, of course, I’m going to support him 100 percent, and we will remain friends for a long time. I would miss him, but I support him regardless of what he does.”
This change in management coupled with Williams making over $13 million a year in Detroit makes Kerr’s contract situation something to watch moving forward, Woj says.
“It’s hard to imagine Erik Spoelstra leaving a Miami organization where he started 28 years ago as a video intern, 15 years as a head coach with two championships, but Steve Kerr is going to be a different situation. … This is an aging roster and the world view for Steve Kerr might be a little different,” Wojnarowski noted, adding: “So watch his negotiations this summer on an extension.”