This could be the last dance for the Golden State Warriors with Steve Kerr as their coach, as the national media says some team members are thinking the unthinkable, that Kerr might be let go at the end of this NBA season.

We take for granted that the Golden State Warriors have one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history in Steve Kerr. Kerr’s Warriors have spoiled us with four NBA championships (three in his first four seasons as coach), and five consecutive NBA Finals appearances. And he’s the perfect Bay Area coach, as he stridently criticizes Donald Trump, routinely decries gun violence, and most importantly, expertly manages a difficult set of egos to keep the Dubs’ championship dynasty running smoothly.  

We should not take Steve Kerr for granted. In the wake of Monday night’s catastrophic season-ending injury to Jimmy Butler, and a league-wide sense that this means the end of the Warriors’ dynasty, NBC Bay Area reports on rumors that Kerr will either be fired or quit his job at the end of the NBA season in June. (Or earlier?)

The source of this information is a Wednesday article from sports site The Ringer entitled “The Grim Fallout of the Jimmy Butler Injury.” It’s an excellent, 1,400-word analytical piece that also covers whether the Warriors will now trade the injured Butler, how this affects Steph Curry’s future, and whatever he fuck is going on with Jonathan Kuminga. But at one point it briefly touches on Kerr, in words that sent shock waves through the NBA.

“Kerr’s future is still up in the air,” The Ringer reports. “This is the final year of his contract, and as of Wednesday, he has yet to sign a new deal. Though Kerr has publicly been mum about his future, multiple assistant coaches have been operating under the premise that he will not return next season, according to team sources, with some surveying the league to secure jobs next season.”

Okay, that’s just “multiple assistant coaches,” none of whom went on the record. Nor would they, this is an organization that does not like dirty laundry aired publicly.  

But it is true that Kerr is on the final year of his contract. Kerr has not made a stink about this, there simply seems to be a gentlemen’s agreement that they would see how the season goes, and negotiate afterwards. But no one anticipated that this season might go down the toilet, which it now might.

Kerr gets credit for building this Warriors dynasty, and deservedly so, but he did not really build the dynasty. These Warriors got good-good in 2013 and 2014 under previous coach Mark Jackson, once Steph Curry and Klay Thompson had been around for a few years.

But Kerr was the first coach to get these Warriors beyond the second round of the playoffs, and made them NBA Champions. Don’t assume it’s so easy to find someone else who can do that.

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Image: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 20: Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors reacts to the officiating on the court against the Toronto Raptors in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on January 20, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)