The Golden State Warriors and Steve Kerr are feeling mutually confident that Kerr will extend his contract with the organization next summer, both parties informed Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.
Per Kawakami, Kerr, general manager Bob Myers and owner Joe Lacob all fully expect Kerr to extend his contract next summer.
Kerr says that the two parties agreed to wait until next summer due to his health concerns; the organization presumably wants to make sure he’ll be physically able to coach before guaranteeing him a large sum of money, and Kerr echoed that sentiment, saying that he would “feel weird” about signing a contract if he were unsure that he’d be able to fulfill the duties necessitated by the deal.
At the end of the day, Kerr wants to be in Golden State:
“I don’t have any desire to be anywhere else. So I’m sure when we get down to it, we’ll come to an agreement pretty quickly.”
Lacob says that they probably won’t discuss it this season, and will deal with the matter when the summer arrives.
Kerr signed a five-year deal worth $25 million in 2014. In the three season since then, the Warriors have won two championships.
Kerr joked to Kawakami that he’s probably cost himself money by expressing how badly he wants to stay with the Warriors, saying that he’s a “terrible negotiator.”
Lacob expects Kerr to be around for the long haul:
“I would expect him to be our coach for a long time,” Lacob said. “We did try, but I think he basically just wanted to wait and see how his health was, that was the primary thing.
…
“I would like to have him for a very long term. He’s fantastic. We love him.”
