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Dec 31, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr during the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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Dec 31, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr during the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
After much contemplation, Steve Kerr returned to the Golden State Warriors last week as the highest-paid coach in the NBA. The four-time championship-winning head coach is on a two-year deal and wants to make amends for just 37 wins and a missed playoff chance. And the reconstruction has already begun, starting with some of the coaching staff’s assistants.
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Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse are both departing the franchise, according to Anthony Slater, marking the first major changes of Kerr’s offseason reset. Unlike Kerr, who received a new contract, the assistant’s contract expired after this past season. Later, Brett Siegel added:
“Staff changes were among those discussed between Steve Kerr and Joe Lacob.”
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Stotts just finished his second year as Kerr’s lead assistant and offensive coordinator. But had already informed Steve Kerr late in the regular season that he didn’t intend to return. But he still remains on good terms and wants to pursue head coaching opportunities in the NBA.
Before moving away, recently, certain reports named Terry Stotts as a potential replacement for Kerr. Last year, he was also approached to be part of Mike Brown’s staff with the New York Knicks. But Stotts was committed to his Warriors job. Similar to Stotts, Stackhouse also served a two-season run on Steve Kerr’s staff. He is leaving to actively pursue head coaching opportunities elsewhere.
His hiring in 2024 was on the back of the vacancy left by Kenny Atkinson, who departed to take the Cleveland Cavaliers head job that summer.
The Warriors are losing their top two assistant coaches.
Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse are departing the franchise, sources told ESPN. Their contracts expired and both are interested in pursuing head coaching opportunities.
Full details here https://t.co/tAFOlSzuwe
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 15, 2026
The front office, including owner Joe Lacob and GM Mike Dunleavy Jr., discussed staff changes explicitly during Kerr’s contract negotiations. Losing key voices disrupts both offensive and defensive schemes for an aging core, even as the team eyes an aggressive roster refresh around Stephen Curry. Kris Weems, promoted internally after Chris DeMarco’s earlier departure to the WNBA’s New York Liberty, is expected to step up in a larger role.
Stotts and Stackhouse’s departures highlight their head coaching ambitions and prior context. Stotts, a veteran with prior NBA head-coaching experience (including a long run with the Portland Trail Blazers), informed Kerr of his plans late in the season while remaining committed throughout the year.
Stackhouse, who served as defensive coordinator and previously coached Vanderbilt for five seasons, is actively chasing head coaching roles in the NBA or NCAA. He was previously on the shortlist for the 76ers if Nick Nurse were fired, and expressed disappointment after his alma mater, North Carolina, hired Michael Malone instead of interviewing him.
Both left amicably to pursue these opportunities, proving how Kerr’s staff has become a stepping stone for rising coaches.
Kerr’s return adds pressure to deliver after a disappointing season. Kerr contemplated his future post play-in exit but ultimately signed a two-year extension worth around $35 million, keeping him as the league’s highest-paid coach at approximately $17.5 million annually.
Now in his 13th season—the longest tenure for any Warriors coach—Kerr aims to evolve the offense with more layers and push for contention before the veteran core ages out, aligning with Curry’s long-term vision.
Steve Kerr and the Warriors’ replacement plans under threat
It’s still early in the short-listing process, but Slater reported that former New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green is among the candidates. Siegel further hinted, “I don’t fully believe it to happen yet, but one early name I’ve heard come up along with Willie Green is Andre Iguodala.”
While the return of Iguodala is minuscule despite his ties, there is a greater chance of Green returning, as he started his NBA coaching career with the Warriors in 2016 and spent three seasons as an assistant on Kerr’s staff.
The two have remained close, but there is another reason why Green might not return to the Bay Area. The Pelicans fired Green at the beginning of the season after a 2-10 start and replaced him with interim head coach James Borrego.
Despite the underwhelming spell, he has a 150-190 record as a head coach over 4+ years in New Orleans. But he also has ties to the Orlando Magic, which is one of the shortlisted candidates. He was a former Magic player during the 2014-2015 NBA season, and now, with Jamahl Mosley’s firing, the head coach’s seat remains vacant.
Along with Green, long-time NBA assistant Sam Cassell and former Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer are also options for the Magic. The head-coaching job might outweigh the assistant’s role that the Warriors and Steve Kerr are currently offering.
Written by
Edited by
Tanay Sahai