Warriors’ Steve Kerr Explains Why He’s Waiting To Sign Extension

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told The SF Standard’s Tim Kawakami on a recent episode of “The TK Show” that the 2025-26 season will not be the “last dance” for Steph Curry and Golden State’s veteran roster.

Steve Kerr Plans To Continue Coaching Warriors

The 1997-98 Chicago Bulls season, of course, is referred to as the “last dance” because it was the final campaign in a storied dynasty led by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and coach Phil Jackson.

Kerr was also part of that legendary roster.

“By no means am I looking at this as the last dance or my last dance,” Kerr told Kawakami. “I think this team, you know obviously Steph [Curry], Draymond [Green] and Jimmy [Butler] are signed for two more years.”

“That Bulls team, everybody was a free agent. Michael [Jordan], Scottie [Pippen], Phil [Jackson] were all free agents,” Kerr continued. “It was very clear cut and defined. We were also coming off back-to-back championships. Very unique situation.

“This is different. This is more of a traditional NBA situation where you got some aging stars, you’re just trying to be good for as long as you can. You don’t know if it’s going to be this year or two more years or three more years. None of us have any idea. So, this definitely is not the last dance.”

Golden State Has Won Four NBA Championships With Kerr

Kerr, who’s entering his 12th season as Golden State’s coach, has only one year left on his current two-year, $35 million contract but said last week that he doesn’t plan to talk about an extension until after the 2025-26 season.

“I don’t anticipate any negotiation during the season,” Kerr told reporters during media day. “Who knows — maybe it all comes up at some point, and they come to me. But I’m not the slightest bit concerned about it. I don’t think about it. I just think it makes perfect sense for all of us [to wait].”

Per Spotrac, the Warriors’ three veteran star players — Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green — all have two years remaining on their current contracts.

Golden State won its fourth NBA title under Kerr in 2022, but the team was eliminated in the first round of 2023 and missed the playoffs entirely during the 2023-24 campaign.

Last season, the Warriors finished 48-34 (.585) to place seventh in the Western Conference standings. However, they fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference semifinals.