Since the postseason exit on Friday, rumors of Steve Kerr’s exit have been rampant. Veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were also uncertain if the head coach would return. Amid this, the Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob has already zeroed in on the next target, with whom he shares a great rapport.

Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor said on his podcast that the Warriors will pursue Florida Gators’ head coach Todd Golden. “Golden is the coach that they’re targeting, and that’s in part because the Lacob family has a relationship with him. Golden was the head coach of the San Francisco Dons for 3 years before he went to Florida and won a national title there. They’ve been together. They’ve had lunches together.

Those guys know each other, and Golden is a very, very talented young head coach, so I think for the Warriors, Golden would be near the top of their list, if not at the top of the list.”

That relationship traces back to Golden’s time at USF, where he revitalized a dormant program and led the Dons to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in over two decades- results that put him on Lacob’s radar long before Florida came calling.

Golden’s resume has quickly become one of the most impressive in college basketball. Beyond the national title, he was also named 2026 SEC Coach of the Year and became the fastest coach to reach 100 wins, doing so in just 139 games.

The championship run itself was a statement. Florida entered the tournament as a mid-seed and knocked off several bluebloods on the way to the title, a performance that underscored Golden’s ability to overachieve and keep a roster locked in when the stakes are highest.

That rapid rise has made him one of the most coveted names in the sport- Florida’s athletic director, Scott Stricklin, has had to fend off interest from programs like North Carolina, which ultimately chose Mike Malone. At 40 years old, Golden is about to enter the second year of a six-year deal with the Gators, but that won’t be a hurdle for the Warriors.

He has an $11 million buyout for other college programs, and only a $2 million buyout for NBA teams through March 2028. If he chooses to jump to the NBA, it will be similar to former Florida coach Billy Donovan’s path, which led to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015.

Golden’s appeal to an NBA franchise isn’t just his record. He has built Florida’s offense around player movement, spacing, and quick ball rotation, principles that align closely with the motion-heavy system the Warriors have run for over a decade. However, we have already seen great college basketball coaches turn down NBA jobs.

A few years ago, UConn’s Dan Hurley declined a six-year, $70 million deal to coach the Lakers, as he wanted to focus on his dream of three-peating. Similarly, Golden can choose to focus on the Gators and make them better, rather than take the uncertain route into the NBA. He will have immense pressure on him to contend in Curry’s final seasons after the recent debacle of missing out on the playoffs twice in the last three years.

“The thing is, would Golden even want to leave the Gators? He has a great situation there in Florida. They’re 1 year removed from a national title, no guarantee he would want to be going to an uncertain situation with the Golden State Warriors. That said, though, that’s what I’m hearing for the Warriors as their main target at the college ranks when it comes to who that college coach is, it’s Todd Golden,” concluded O’Connor.

But while Joe Lacob looks to the future, the doors for Steve Kerr’s return aren’t completely shut, as a recent ESPN report outlines the timeline for a decision.

Warriors veteran remains uncertain about Steve Kerr’s return

ESPN’s report from Ramona Shelburne and Anthony Slater stated that Kerr has “placed a timeline of about one to two weeks, which is in alignment with management’s desired urgency.” It further stated that Dub Nation remains keen to have the head coach for a “multiyear deal, instead of setting up a last dance farewell tour that would feel more about emotion and nostalgia than wins.”

While reports state this stance, the mood inside the locker room is completely different. “I hope he’s our coach next year,” stated Draymond Green. “I also hope I’m on this team next year. We also don’t know that, which we’ll get into. But I don’t know, man. It felt like that was it.” After the exit, Stephen Curry even said that the viral huddle with Green and Steve Kerr was “definitely weird.”

As the veterans remain shocked, Pat Spencer credited the head coach for his growth and pleaded for his return. Now, it depends on the front office and which timeline they want to pursue- whether they bring in a new head coach with no NBA experience for the final years of Curry, or trust the foundation Kerr built, despite the recent setbacks.