Warriors give Steve Kerr a record two-year, $35 million deal.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who has won four franchise titles, has agreed to a two-year, $35 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid coach in NBA history, according to Priority Sports agents Rick Smith and Dan Eveloff.
Kerr’s contract was due to expire at the end of the 2023-24 season, but his $17.5 million per season extension extends it until the 2025-26 season. The extension aligns him with Stephen Curry’s remaining two-year contract.
Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio Spurs’ coach, earns more per year, according to sources, but he also serves as president. According to sources, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has signed an eight-year agreement worth approximately $15 million each season.
The agreement brings months of negotiations between Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Kerr’s representatives to a close, assuring the Warriors that they would keep the coach with the fifth-best winning percentage in NBA history (.655).
“I think it’s incredible,” Warriors forward Draymond Green remarked about Kerr’s extension. “I wouldn’t want to complete my time here under any other coach. What he’s meant to this franchise, the winning methods he brought here, cannot be replaced. “He received what he deserved.”
Owner Joe Lacob has made it a goal to secure Kerr’s continued partnership with Dunleavy in guiding the organization. The Warriors never signed an extension with former president and general manager Bob Myers, who left at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Kerr, 58, has established himself as an iconic figure in the Warriors’ history and has now pledged to stay through what might be a transitional period for an organization built on Curry, Green, and Klay Thompson for more than a decade.
Green stated that he has no concerns about Kerr obtaining a new contract.
“No, because I know Joe is going to do the right thing,” Green said of Jacob. “He’s done nothing but build that trust with us that he’s going to do the right thing and take care of those who take care of this organization.”
Kerr, who has four championships and six NBA Finals appearances, won his 500th game on February 15. This makes him the fifth-fastest coach to achieve so.
He is also Team USA’s national coach, and he will lead the Americans at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Kerr guided the Warriors to 73 wins in the 2015-16 regular season, the most in NBA history. Kerr is already in his seventh season with Golden State and has a 502-264 record.
