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SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry had not yet spoken to his coach about extending his contract. He was taking off his uniform after the Golden State Warriors and the visiting Charlotte Hornets fell down a flight of stairs together Friday night, and the Warriors finished ahead, 97-84. When asked for his opinion on Steve Kerr’s new two-year, $35 million contract, Curry had the same thought as everyone else.
“It’s the same (years) as my contract,” Curry said, smiling as he put on his shower sandals. “I just realized.”
The $17.5 million was not the figure that appeared in Kerr’s new deal, even though it nearly doubles his supposed current salary and makes him the highest-paid coach in the league based on average salary. The significant number was “2”. Like in two years. Because he points to the number 30.
NBA coaches, who are hired to be fired, do not accept short deals. On the one hand, they usually need time to develop the program. But also the only advantage of their inevitable dismissal is that they still get paid. But Kerr’s extension expires the same year Curry’s current four-year, $215.3 million contract expires, after the 2025-26 season.
“If I were him, I’d do the same thing,” Kevon Looney said. “He probably got that from (Gregg) Popovich.”
This was good news for Curry, the face of the Warriors franchise, who won’t have to worry about another coach being imposed on him. Because he certainly doesn’t want another.
“Hell no,” Curry said.
Much of the talk about a coach focuses on rotations and strategy. Those are the visible components of the job. But the invisible parts tend to matter at least as much, often much more. Nothing that happens between the lines is relevant if the foundation of the team is of poor quality. Coaching players of this caliber, especially in the age of social media, comes with the added difficulty of managing basketball players who are also moguls and brands, celebrities with complicated lives. Over the past decade, the Warriors have seen the invisible impact on the visible. Both in the good and the bad.
No one expected the Warriors to let go of Kerr, who entered this season in the final year of his contract. But the possibility arose, especially considering the team’s previous struggles this season. But the Warriors have leaned into the Curry era by trading future core pieces like James Wiseman and Jordan Poole, re-signing Draymond Green, acquiring Chris Paul and drafting play-ready rookies. Klay Thompson could get a new contract this offseason to stay with Golden State.
The Warriors are committed to chasing a championship as long as Curry continues to dominate. And they want to do it together. Directed by Kerr.
This is what they want. That’s why they’re still here. They want to be with the Warriors until it’s time to lace up and throw their sneakers on the telephone wire. And until that day they want Kerr to be their coach.
The Warriors front office hasn’t always felt so confident about Kerr. His handling of young players has frustrated some people above him. Maybe that’s why the Warriors are fine with tying him to Curry’s contract. Because if Curry hangs up, the Warriors might prefer to start a new era with a new coach.
Or maybe Kerr’s contract is only two years because he wants his future to be tied to the legend who helped get him this far.
“There are a handful of player-coach and trio-coach stories in league history that are comparable to ours,” Curry said. “And that is not by chance. …It has been a very constant presence. Not just the X’s and Os, but managing the ups and downs, mainly the ups and downs, that we’ve been through. People think it’s easy. But success comes with expectations. The nuance of keeping things together and managing not only here, but also managing them upwards, is difficult. “It just reminds you of the special personality and character you have to have to do this job.”
Stephen Curry was skeptical when the Warriors fired Mark Jackson and hired Steve Kerr. Ten years later, would you want someone else to coach you? “Hell no,” he said Friday. (Ross Cameron/USA Today)
The irony of all this is that the journey between Kerr and the Warriors’ trio of superstars began with reservations. When Kerr was hired in 2014, Curry was still smarting from the firing of Mark Jackson, whose job he lobbied to keep. Just when the Warriors finally got good, when Curry felt like he had survived the turmoil of his early years, the Warriors hit the reset button. On top of that, they hired another former player turned broadcaster who had never coached before.
Curry said at the time that he would keep an open mind about the new hire. What happened next took him from the NBA All-Star Game to the Hall of Fame. Kerr’s offensive approach further magnified Curry’s abilities. And one of the reasons it worked, Curry said, was how Kerr handled the delicate transition.
He did not come seeking to establish his kingdom. He did little things to honor what they had already built. He kept his team motto (“Only Us”) on the walls. He praised Jackson publicly and regularly, and fully agreed with the idea that he inherited greatness.
“Obviously,” Curry said, “people talk about him having a blessed roster, and he did. That doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the adjustment will work. Furthermore, he has never been the one, not even from day 1, to say that he was the reason or the key. … He has never had the aura that it is him and only him. That was key.”
This is their tenth year together. Their chemistry together has become increasingly important as his talent and health slowly seep through their sand-clenched fists. By contract, they now have this year and two more to climb the mountain again.
For Curry and his fellow champions, these past few years of their prime have more to do with trust and collaboration than most understand. In an increasingly younger league, created to expel them, it makes sense that the bonds created matter more. It makes sense that they trust Kerr to manage what’s left of their best.
That’s Kerr’s true experience: genuinely believing he’s associated with his stars. Their relationship is based on reciprocity. That matters even more at the end of historic careers.
As things stand now, barring unforeseen circumstances, 2026 becomes the next potential expiration date for the era. There are three postseasons to build toward a fifth ring. Their proverbial Last Dance has three songs. This team may not look the same when you get to that checkpoint. Most likely, the hierarchy will be modified. But at least they are prepared to get through this together.
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(Top photo of Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr from a November game against the Sacramento Kings: Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)