Draymond Green Says Steve Kerr Won’t Return Next Season With Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s next step is clouded after Draymond Green said he does not expect Kerr to return next season, three days after Kerr acknowledged this might have been his last season with the team.

Green made the prediction on his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” saying, “I hope he's our coach next season,” then adding, “You want my opinion? I think not. Just because it feels like that. It felt like that was it.”

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The comments came after the Warriors were eliminated late Friday night in Phoenix, when Kerr brought Green and star guard Stephen Curry together on the sideline to conclude their 12th season together.

Microphones caught Kerr telling the two, “I don't know what's going to happen next, but I love you guys to death. Thank you.”

Kerr also said he plans to take “a week or two” to mull his future, and he told reporters, “These jobs all have an expiration date.”

ESPN reported that Kerr has been conflicted about his future in recent weeks, stating that the likelihood of his return is around 50-50.

The uncertainty is now tied to a broader offseason question: whether Kerr will agree to continue coaching the Warriors or step away after his contract ends following the play-in loss.

The Warriors’ season-ending sequence began with a play-in tournament loss to the Phoenix Suns, and the aftermath quickly turned into a coaching decision window.

In the AP account carried by Greenwich Time, the season ended after Golden State lost 111-96 on Friday at Phoenix, following a first play-in win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

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Kerr, described as having just completed a two-year contract worth $35 million, pulled Curry and Green together near the bench and said, “I don’t know what’s gonna happen next, but I love you guys to death and I thank you. I appreciate you.”

The exchange was not expected to be posted, and the AP report notes that “The exchange wasn't something Kerr knew would beposted by the NBA on social media.”

Green later said he was “truly at a loss now because you just don't know what direction will be what,” and he framed the moment as possibly the last time playing with Kerr as coach.

Kerr said after the game that he would meet with Warriors owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy in the coming week or two.

In the ESPN report, Kerr and management returned to the team’s San Francisco facility Monday for exit interviews with players, and it was anticipated that Lacob, Dunleavy, and Kerr would have “necessary big-picture conversations in the coming days.”

Multiple Warriors figures and now weigh in on Kerr’s future, with Green’s prediction driving the public narrative while other players and team decision-makers describe the uncertainty in different terms.

Green told listeners, “I hope he's our coach next year,” and he added, “It felt like that was it,” while also saying, “I also hope I'm on this team next year. We also don't know that.”

In the Greenwich Time/AP report, forward Gui Santos said he was hopeful the group would stay together, arguing, “Steve, Steph, Draymond, all of them are a big part of the organization,” and “I love being coached by Steve.”

Santos also said, “It would be great to have all of them together next year, too.”

Guard Pat Spencer offered a personal view, saying, “I owe Steve everything,” and describing Kerr as “like a second father to me since I’ve been here as far as just giving me guidance day in and day out.”

Kerr’s own comments, as quoted across outlets, emphasized both affection and uncertainty, including, “I still love coaching, but I get it,” and “I don't know what’s going to happen.”

ESPN reported that team sources indicated Lacob wants Kerr to show “a hunger” for the daily details rather than a reluctant continuation tied to loyalty to Green and Curry.

While the underlying facts about Kerr’s contract status and Green’s comments are consistent, the outlets emphasize different aspects of what the uncertainty means and what conditions might bring Kerr back.

ESPN focuses on the internal negotiation dynamics, saying it is anticipated that Kerr, general manager Mike Dunleavy and controlling owner Joe Lacob will have “necessary big-picture conversations,” and it reports that Kerr has been conflicted with the likelihood of his return “around 50-50.”

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ESPN also describes management’s preference for Kerr to sign a multiyear deal and to express “a hunger” for the daily job rather than a reluctant acceptance based on loyalty to Green and Curry.

NBC Sports Bay Area & California similarly reports that “owner Joe Lacob wants him to express a certain level of hunger,” and it quotes team sources describing the desire to avoid a “last dance farewell tour.”

Sports Illustrated adds a different lens by describing what could make Kerr walk away, saying “What could make him walk away is simple: burnout,” while also reporting that sources believe Kerr is executing parts of the job “with as much passion as ever.”

The Sports Illustrated report also says Lacob wants Kerr’s impetus rooted in “executing the nitty-gritty details of the daily job” and it adds that the front office wants Kerr to sign a multiyear deal to avoid next season feeling like the “Last Dance documentary.”

Yardbarker and the Sacramento Bee both lean into Green’s prediction as a near-finality, with Yardbarker stating Green believes Kerr has “coached his last game” and the Sacramento Bee quoting Green: “It really felt like that was it.”

The stakes for the Warriors extend beyond whether Steve Kerr stays, because the reporting ties his decision to roster planning, contract timing, and the franchise’s strategic direction.

ESPN and other outlets describe a push for Kerr to commit to multiple seasons, with ESPN reporting that management wants him to sign a multiyear deal and to show “a hunger” for the “nitty-gritty details of the daily job.”

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Sports Illustrated adds that if Kerr returns, the front office will discuss staffing and “philosophy tweaks,” including “diversifying the offensive attack” and “winning the analytically friendly possession battle more often,” while also referencing “a feeling internally that they were too reliant this season on 3-point variance.”

The Sports Illustrated report also places urgency on the head coach decision because free-agency negotiations can begin on June 30, and it notes that the Warriors need to know how their cap sheet will look once Green’s contract demand is resolved.

It further says they need to find out if Kristaps Porzingis wants to come back and for what price, and it mentions that they must decide whether to keep their first-round pick and who to take if they do.

Yardbarker and the New York Post both emphasize that Kerr is a free agent after his contract expired, and the New York Post quotes Kerr saying he is “definitely not going and coaching somewhere else next year,” while also describing his “week or two” evaluation before a “collaborative decision.”

For the Warriors, the next steps are therefore both contractual and strategic, with Kerr’s choice shaping how the organization approaches offseason negotiations and on-court identity.