Decision by Warriors, Steve Kerr to extend time together the right outcome

After three long weeks of waiting, the announcement came Saturday evening. Kerr is returning to coach the Golden State Warriors, agreeing to a two-year contract that will reportedly keep him as the league's highest-paid coach.

He will continue to coach Curry, who has one more year on his contract and will almost certainly be extended. Kerr may also continue to coach Draymond Green, who has a player option. The band is staying together.

For those who wanted radical change, too bad. You're not going to get it. For the Kerr haters who blame him for only winning (checks notes) four championships, you'll just have to suck it up.

The Warriors have opted for stability. And that's a good thing. The best thing for the franchise.

Kerr is a one of one figure. Curry is a one of one figure. They belong together. They deserve to write the ending together.

After the Warriors' season ended in April, in an emotional press conference, Kerr was specifically asked if he was willing to leave Curry. He said, "I would never walk away from Steph," adding that he wouldn't coach anywhere else in the NBA next season if he wasn't the Warriors' coach. Yet, at the same time, he made it clear that he wasn't done with coaching, that he still loves it.

Curry let it be known, on the same night, that he wanted Kerr to return, as long as that was what his coach wanted. Curry didn't bang his fist on the table or make a demand - that's not his style. But his voice is the loudest. And what he wants carries the most weight. He deserves the coach he wants as he navigates this final chapter and his quest to squeeze the most out of the time he has left in his magnificent career.

Kerr, understandably, needed some time away, to process the season, catch his breath, partake in some salt water healing. In those early days of the wait, sentiment seemed to lean toward his departure. But then the reports of ongoing meetings with owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy began, and as the wait stretched out, the handicapping started to change.

If Kerr was going to walk away, wouldn't that have happened quickly? If the Warriors didn't want him, that, too, would have been obvious and resolved rapidly. Clearly negotiations about extending the marriage and the future together were taking place.

Then, last week, Kerr was seen at the Giants game with a bunch of his buddies from high school. And there was a picture of him standing with them at Chase Center. If you were having a falling out with your organization, you likely wouldn't be frolicking around your workplace and the neighborhood just for kicks.

The Warriors are a complicated puzzle, one with unique pieces that can only fit together in a certain way. The Warriors themselves have had a hard time connecting the pieces seamlessly in recent years, with piece after piece being removed due to injury.

It's a tough job. For an outsider it would seem an impossible task. Who was going to come in, connect with Curry, navigate Green, continue the culture, make it all work? Some young hotshot coach only a couple of years older than Curry? That's hard to imagine.

And if the Warriors were perceived as forcing Kerr out, their image would have taken a beating. Kerr, who has lived through everything the NBA can offer, already experienced something similar with the Chicago, where the Bulls showed Phil Jackson the door. The Bulls have never recovered.

We don't want to put words in Kerr's mouth - he will speak eloquently enough at some point next week - but who walks away from Curry? Arguably the most unique player in the NBA, he is also a joy to coach. How could Kerr not want to extend that?

They deserve to craft this final chapter together.

This is the only outcome that made sense.

May 9, 2026

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Ann Killion

Sports Columnist

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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 2:15 AM.