The Golden State Warriors secured one of their key pieces for next year by agreeing to terms with head coach Steve Kerr on a two-year contract yesterday. Now, it’s onto building the roster into what Kerr and Stephen Curry hope to end in a fifth championship.
Warriors To Pursue Star To Pair With Steph Curry
After allowing his contract to expire after this past season, Kerr will remain the NBA’s highest-paid head coach, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater. The 60-year-old made a league-high $17.5 million last season.
Kerr’s new contract means that he will head into his 13th season at the helm of the franchise. Kerr owns a 604-353 record with eight playoff appearances. He has guided the Warriors to six NBA Finals, winning four championships.
Despite Kerr’s success, the Warriors have missed the playoffs in four of the last seven seasons. Injuries have been a major reason that the Dubs have not reached the postseason on each of those occasions, including this past season. The Warriors finished 10th in the West with a 37-45 record as Curry and Jimmy Butler played in a combined 81 games. Al Horford sat out 37 contests, and Kristaps Porzingis missed half of his 30 games with the Warriors.
Golden State will enter the 2026-27 season shorthanded, as Butler (torn ACL) and Moses Moody (torn patellar tendon) are recovering from major knee injuries. Both players are expected to miss at least the first three months of the upcoming campaign, according to Slater.
Warriors 2026-27 Roster Building Plan
The Warriors have nine players under contract for next season, totaling $181.9 million in salaries, leaving them $19.5 million below the tax threshold. Horford ($5.96 million), Draymond Green ($27.6 million), and De’Anthony Melton ($3.4 million) all hold player options.
Horford is still deciding whether to play a 20th season, while Green is expected to return, if he wants to.
“Kerr’s return is at least a pledge from the organization to value the present even while planning for the future,” Slater writes. “In that vein, team sources have indicated that they have no intention to shop Green or push him out. On the court, they still view him as an additive winner with an elite defensive skill set that plays up when the stakes rise.“
Still, the Warriors will pursue a star running mate for Curry.
The 37-year-old is coming off a strong season, despite being limited to 43 games. Curry will make $62.5 million in the final season of his current contract, though he is eligible for a one or two-year extension in August. At this point, he’s expected to add one or two extra seasons to his deal before calling it a career.
“[Kerr’s return] should also make extension conversations with Curry simpler later in the summer,” Slater adds. “The franchise icon has long expressed a desire to remain with the Warriors the entirety of his career. He can add either one or two seasons to his current deal, which has one season remaining, when he becomes extension-eligible in August. Having Kerr locked in should ease Curry’s concern of a franchise in complete transition, even if the championship ceiling is no longer there.”
