Steve Kerr says he must 'be better' after returning as Warriors coach

SAN FRANCISCO — As Steve Kerr wrestled for three weeks about whether to continue coaching the Warriors, his wife, Margot, offered words that struck a chord with him during one of their many discussions about what was to come next.

“She said, ‘You might coach again some day, but you’ll never coach the Warriors again,’ and that was really meaningful to me,” Kerr said on Friday at his first news conference since signing a two-year deal to remain the team’s coach. “I love this team, I love our players, and that struck me. You know, I couldn’t imagine walking away from the Warriors.”

With a desire to return, Kerr had multiple meetings with general manager Mike Dunleavy and team owner Joe Lacob to hash out their differences and disagreements.

“Saw both sides of it, and that’s where we needed to take the time and get through it and ask the right questions, talk about the right stuff,” Dunleavy said. “Talk about where we’ve been, where we’re at, where we’re going and, again, figure out what’s right for the franchise.”

Kerr also immediately shot down any speculation that his political outspokeness had anything to do with the state of his negotiations, which had been reported.

“That literally never came up,” Kerr said. “That was not a part of the conversation at all in terms of whether I was coming back or not.”

Steph Curry and Draymond Green communicated with Kerr throughout the process, but the coach said neither had any influence on his decision.

“It usually doesn’t work out well when a player tries to dictate what an organization does,” Kerr said of Curry. “So Steph has always recognized the sanctity of that wall that should exist, but we had a lot of discussions and talked about everything.”

Kerr and Dunleavy both made it known that they did not see next season as a sentimental farewell tour.

On the contrary, Kerr advocated for coaching his players even harder after the team went 37-45 and lost in a play-in game. All parties agreed that turnovers, a problem for years, must be addressed on the court by shifting methods off it.

“I really, frankly, gave everyone too much leeway this year. It just felt like we were constantly resting everybody and just trying to survive to the next game and have enough healthy bodies,” Kerr said. “I think we lost some of our discipline, and we got a little loose, and that’s my job.”

Kerr is the winningest coach in Warriors history with a 604-353 record and owns a 104-48 mark in the postseason. That includes four NBA titles and an additional two appearances in the finals, a resume few can touch.

But he admitted that what used to work can no longer be counted upon, aside from the continued excellence of Curry and Green.

“We know we need to make some changes. I know I have to be better,” Kerr said. “I didn’t have a great coaching year this year. I know there are a lot of things I can do better.”

Adding another trophy to the collection appears to be a longshot for an aging and injury-prone core that has been surpassed in the Western Conference by Oklahoma City and San Antonio.

The Warriors will be without Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody until at least after the calendar turns to 2027 as both rehab from devastating knee injuries, and Curry and Green are in their late-30s.

They are no longer championship favorites, but Kerr agreed with Lacob’s assessment of what the team’s goals should be.

“We were talking about our injuries and how this is the first time where we can’t realistically just say, ‘Hey, let’s win a title next year, you know,’” Kerr said. ”He just said, ‘I’m the owner, and I can’t help but just say I expect to be in the playoffs every year and have a shot.’ Frankly, that’s one of the reasons why we have done that is because of his vision and his passion.”

Getting back to that level could involve using the No. 11 pick to strengthen the roster with youth or trade for a veteran.

Preferably someone who can be counted on to play most nights.

“I do think it’s important that we don’t have the vast number of players who couldn’t play back-to-back,” Kerr said. “We can’t do that again. It’s too hard to build continuity. We need some younger legs for sure. We know that.”

Assuming Draymond Green opts into his $27 million player option, Al Horford returns for $6 million and De’Anthony Melton chooses to become a free agent, the Warriors will have $177.7 million committed to players’ salaries, per Spotrac, but will have around $40 million in cap space to fill out the rest of the roster before they hit the restrictive second apron.

Though Kerr is back, the Warriors coaching staff will still undergo a shakeup. Lead assistants Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse will depart the organization in search of head coaching opportunities. Kerr wished them both well.

“We’re looking at some candidates who are also looking to promote from within,” Kerr said. “I’ve already spoken with a couple of people on the outside. That process will continue here in the next couple of weeks.”

Whoever Kerr adds to his coaching staff will be joining a team that still has high expectations going into the 2026-27 season.

“It’s not just a one-year swan song last dance type thing, like, ‘Hey, let’s ride off into the sunset.’ That is 100 percent not what this is about,” Dunleavy said. “Steve will tell it to you. I’ll say it. Joe would not have been good with that. Nobody wants to do that. We got to get this thing right, and you know, we need a multi-year commitment. Steve unequivocally gave us that.”