Inside Steve Kerr's Decision to Return as Warriors HC Revealed Following Retirement Buzz

ESPN's Wright Thompson provided a new glimpse into what took place in meetings between Steve Kerr and Golden State Warriors leadership before Kerr agreed to return as head coach.

It had been previously reported by ESPN's Shams Charania, Ramona Shelburne and Anthony Slater that Kerr held multiple meetings with owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy in the three weeks prior to agreeing to his two-year extension.

According to Thompson, the first meeting focused on the question: "What honored the Warriors' past while setting the franchise up for the best future?"

"Steve offered to do whatever best served the team," Thompson reported. "Maybe that meant leaving, and he described what he needed to do better as a coach if he stayed."

According to Thompson, Kerr mentioned Liverpool FC's managerial transition from Jurgen Klopp to Arne Slot, which led to the club winning a Premier League title in Slot's debut season, as an example of the potential benefits of a head coaching change.

However, Thompson reported that Kerr and Lacob "shared a belief that what they'd built was sacred" after winning four NBA titles together between 2015 and 2022.

During the next meeting between Dunleavy and Kerr, Dunleavy said that Lacob "wanted Steve back, if Steve wanted to return," Thompson reported.

According to Thompson, Kerr agreed that he was back before asking Dunleavy: "How do we coach this team? How do we get our mojo back?"

The decision was final enough at that point that Kerr called Stephen Curry and said he would be returning, Thompson reported.

The Warriors were tied to trade interest in Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo at the deadline, but didn't ultimately acquire a star who could make up for the season-ending ACL injury to Jimmy Butler. Curry's 17th season with the team ended with a play-in loss to the Phoenix Suns.

With Curry signed through 2027 and Draymond Green holding a player option through next season, the Warriors will now hope to retool enough this offseason to give Kerr a better chance of another deep playoff run with the remaining stars from the franchise's championship core next spring.