Steve Kerr’s fresh two-year deal makes him the league’s highest-paid coach, but that contract came with some serious baggage after the Warriors’ brutal 37-45 season last year. That year ended with a soul-crushing 111-96 play-in loss to the Suns, and Kerr walked into the press conference sounding like a guy ready to pack it in, saying “These jobs all have an expiration date.” His contract had already hit its limit, and it looked like the end of an era.
The Big Re-Up: What Kerr Really Demanded
For three intense weeks, Kerr sat down with owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy, hashing out everything from how the team should play to who should be on the bench. But the real sticking point? The roster. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody were both laid up with serious knee injuries that will keep them out into the new year, and that core was getting older by the month. There was talk that if management wanted to blow it all up and rebuild, Kerr probably wasn’t the guy for that job. But they didn’t hit the button! On May 9, Kerr signed his new deal, bringing stability and that championship know-how to the locker room. His voice is the comforting sound Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have heard for most of their careers, but Dub Nation’s biggest question is staring everyone down: Can Kerr *actually* develop some young frontcourt talent while the Warriors are still trying to win? The narrative is already out there: he’s squeezed every drop out of trusted veterans while top lottery picks like James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga just never panned out in Warriors’ uniforms. Kerr fired back, saying, “Grownups win championships… Any frustration from our fans is probably coming from this idea that young players should get it right away. It just doesn’t work that way.”
The Eleventh Pick That Blew Everyone Away
That brings us to this past summer. Golden State’s No. 11 pick was their most valuable chip, and for a hot second, it looked like it was going to be packaged for a star. Then Giannis went to Miami, and the Warriors held onto the pick. Just days before the draft, the front office hit up Kerr, asking what the roster needed most. Dunleavy later told NBC Sports Bay Area that Kerr’s answer was crystal clear: “There’s a huge gap in the middle of it with our forward position.” He wanted a connector, someone to slide into that Steph and Draymond machine and keep it humming. Dunleavy admitted he sat there, wondering if Kerr was steering them toward Yaxel Lendeborg on purpose. And wouldn’t you know it, they took Lendeborg at 11. On paper, it’s easy to see what Kerr saw in the kid. Lendeborg was the undisputed best player on the Michigan team that won the national title, putting up 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, while also stuffing the defensive box score. At 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, he took the long road through junior college and UAB before landing at Michigan.
The question now is whether Lendeborg is truly the “connector” Kerr desperately needs, and if Kerr can finally prove he can develop young talent. The season is just getting started, but the pressure on this No. 11 pick and his veteran coach is through the roof.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Golden State of Mind.
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