Steve Kerr on his summer of gold medals, politics, and huge changes for the Warriors

Welcome to the bonus round of the Warriors’ dynasty.

You might not have thought it was possible, or wise, for the Warriors to run it back this season. You might have wondered why the Warriors remain determined to keep so many of their legends together for so long after their last championship, in 2022, or so convinced that they can win at least one more.

It’s all going away, right? The glory days are in the past. Nobody’s going to care much about the adventures of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Steve Kerr & Co., especially after Klay Thompson’s departure in July and the embarrassing play-in exit in Sacramento a few months before that.

But then Curry lit up the world in August with an incredible finish in the Olympics to lead Team USA to a gold medal. Kerr, Team USA’s head coach, followed that up with an arena-rattling speech at the Democratic National Convention. With training camp set to start in a few days in Hawaii, well, darn it, are the Warriors extremely relevant once again?

I asked Kerr during his annual pre-camp appearance on my podcast what struck him about the events of the last few months of this offseason, especially Curry’s monumental performance on the Olympic stage, with none other than LeBron James and Kevin Durant deferring to him when medal games against Serbia and France were on the line.

“It strikes me that he’s still a great player, and we still have to do everything we can to put the best team around him,” Kerr said. “And that’s what we’re doing. That’s what Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy are committed to. And that’s what they attempted to do all summer, trying to get another star. Couldn’t do that. Ended up spending money for three really good role players to come in and solidify our team and give us a lot of options going forward, a lot of flexibility with some contracts.

“I love what we’ve done organizationally, and I think Steph really likes it as well. I think he’s been in the gym the last few days, and [it’s] fun seeing him getting to work and getting ready.”

Being compelling is not the same thing as being good enough to compete for the team’s fifth title of this era and first since June 2022. Or even to duplicate the 46 victories last season, which, in a very competitive Western Conference, was good enough to get them only the 10th seed and that quick play-in exit.

As Kerr noted, the Warriors tried hard to land Paul George and Lauri Markkanen via trade this summer — either would’ve been a perfect fit alongside Curry and Draymond. But the Warriors couldn’t land either. Instead, Lacob and Dunleavy filled out the roster with a general theme: What role players fit best around Curry, and what contracts would be flippable if there’s a large trade to be made in February?

Every act from the Warriors’ last offseason presumed that Curry’s NBA superpowers remain undiminished going into his 16th season, at age 36. And everything that happened in France to close the Olympics was proof that the Warriors were not incorrect.

After losing Klay to the Dallas Mavericks in free agency and cutting ties with Chris Paul, the Warriors used their new cap flexibility to add De’Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson, and Buddy Hield. And if the team gets rising performances out of recent draftees Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Trayce Jackson-Davis, suddenly this is a more athletic, faster, younger, and probably hardier roster for Kerr to deploy.

Is this a championship-level roster? Unlikely. But it could be a dangerous one for opponents in the early rounds of the playoffs, if the Warriors make it that far. Who’s betting against Curry in an all-or-nothing game?

“I just think we have more depth and more good players, more high-level two-way players,” Kerr said. “These new guys have all played in the playoffs. I think [they have] the ability to connect the game, which is always something we have to do for Steph, right? If we’re going to utilize him on- and off-ball, we’ve got to have connectors. We’ve got to have guys who can make shots. We’ve got to have guys who can pass. And the guys we added are all excellent players. So you throw three brand-new guys into the mix who are really in their primes, it’s exciting. And I think we have a chance to be really good. I think we were good last year, you said it, 46 wins usually gets you a five or six seed. The West is loaded and it’s going to be even better with Memphis getting their guys back this year. So who knows? But I just know I like our team a lot and I’m excited about our options in terms of putting the team together because we have a lot of talent.

“But we have a void to fill with Klay being gone, but that has to be looked at from a positive light. We have players who can fill that void, but we can also fill that void in different ways this coming year.”

OK, back to the end of this summer. Less than two weeks after wrapping up that harrowing Olympic journey, there was Kerr in Chicago speaking at the DNC, thundering through a speech, cracking jokes, and generally looking like he was born for this.

How did all this happen, Steve?

“I get back to my house in San Diego [after the Olympics], and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, man, this is great. I’m going to just rest for the next couple of weeks and do nothing,'” Kerr said with a laugh. Then he got an email from Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign chief inviting him to make a speech at the convention.

“I spoke with some people I respect and wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into,” Kerr said. “And then ultimately just made the decision that, hey, they asked me to do it. I feel strongly about her winning the election. I think it’s important for our country. And I should do it.

“So yeah, I went for it, and it was almost surreal. Almost intimidating, you know, definitely felt a little like a fish out of water. But I’m glad I did it. Ultimately, I thought it went over pretty well. And I’m glad I did it. But also glad I’m not doing it again.

“Mostly, I got good feedback. I did get a few nasty emails, but that’s to be expected. And that’s OK. It’s all part of it.”

The main question I got from people who watched Kerr’s performance: He’s good at this — is it possible that he might run for office some day? So I asked him.

“I’m always going to use my voice, use my platform to try to help further the campaign on, whether it’s an issue like gun violence prevention, which I work on all the time, or an election like this one that I feel strongly about,” Kerr said. “I feel like I’ll always do that. I don’t think I’ll ever run for office. I love what I do, and this is what I do. … My entire career has been in sports. I can’t imagine — I wouldn’t even know the first place to start running for office at any level. But it doesn’t really appeal to me.”

Kerr famously ended his speech: “In the words of the great Steph Curry, we can tell Donald Trump … ‘Night-night,'” doing the player’s patented sleep-time gesture. I asked Kerr: Did you get clearance from Curry to do this?

“He was in Hawaii [after the Olympics]. … I texted him, said, ‘Hey, this is what I’m planning on doing, if I don’t hear back from you, and I hope I don’t because you should be in Hawaii, not listening to your coach, but if I don’t hear back from you, I’m going to do this.’ I didn’t hear back from him, and so I just did it.

“I knew he wouldn’t mind, and then the night I did it, I got a great text from him, you know, thanking me for my leadership but also loving the ‘night-night.’ I think he got a kick out of it.”

Here are some other highlights from our conversation.

Kerr said Team USA’s plan all along was to build the team around Curry, LeBron, and Durant, but even then, it was remarkable to watch that venerable trio lead and carry this group of All-Stars.

“I was so blown away by just the approach of these guys,” Kerr said. “LeBron was — I can’t say enough about his approach every single day, the attention to detail, talking in shoot-around, making sure everyone’s engaged, making suggestions. But at the same time, respecting authority, respecting the decision-making.

“He was amazing, and he and Steph were really the leaders of our team. And combined, it was incredible watching the two of them operate together, because there’s a reason why they are who they are. It’s not just the skill and the athleticism. It’s who they are as people and how hard they work.

“We really felt strongly that Steph, LeBron, KD — this was their team. The team was really built around those guys, and it unfolded right away. It wasn’t like we had to do anything for that to happen. These three guys are alphas and champions, and they carry a lot of weight amongst their peers.”

Curry’s shot was off throughout the exhibition games leading into the Olympics and for the first set of games in Olympic competition. But it was no shock for anybody who’s watched the Warriors every night that a Curry eruption was coming exactly when Team USA needed it most — while everybody else was stalled out in the semifinal game against Serbia and to finish the gold-medal game against France with an astonishing barrage of 3-point shots.

“One of the things the coaches all said after that [semifinal] game was that Steph earned that game with the work he had put in the previous few weeks as he was struggling,” Kerr said. “Throughout all the lead-up, the work he puts in after practice, it gives him the right to get hot like that, you know? That’s what the coaches were saying. Like, this makes sense now.”

Kerr stirred plenty of controversy with his decision to sit Celtics star and new NBA champion Jayson Tatum for several games, including the semifinal. Kerr recalled that on the first practice day of Team USA’s camp, he told the team they had 12 great players, but he’d likely play nine at a time. And while Kerr knows he’s going to hear about it every time the Warriors play in Boston or whenever he’s near a Celtic fan for the rest of his life, he said he loves the way Tatum handled it.

“I was really impressed with Jayson, how he handled it. He is an amazing player and just came off winning a championship, signing the biggest contract in NBA history,” Kerr said. “And then to face that kind of media scrutiny and questioning about not playing, that’s not easy on him. And he handled it beautifully.”

Though the immediate news of Thompson’s decision to sign with the Mavericks hit the Warriors franchise hard, there were indications all last season that Klay was unhappy and at least contemplating an exit.

“Yeah, there were signs,” Kerr said. “I mean, obviously, none of us knew what would happen. We all wanted him to stay. I wanted Klay to be a Warrior for life. Felt like the right thing. But you never really know what the right thing is for someone else. Only that person knows.

“I think by the end of the year, I think Klay knew for his own sake that he wanted to leave. I’m happy for him. I really think this will be a great move. He’s going to play for a great team with two high-level creators [Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving]. You should get a lot of wide-open shots. I think sometimes a career change, a late-career change, can refresh and recharge you.

“I’m hoping Klay can move on from the injuries psychologically and emotionally, which I think he struggled to do here, frankly. I think a fresh start is great for him. I think it could be good for us.”

Without Klay, the Warriors have an open spot in the starting lineup and don’t have to worry about how he might’ve handled a demotion. Kerr could go right to Podziemski, who briefly started ahead of Klay last season. Or he could put Melton next to Curry. Or he could move Andrew Wiggins into the shooting guard spot and go with Kuminga or somebody else at small forward.

“I think that’s the exciting thing about this training camp, is that I can legitimately tell the guys that spots are available and mean it,” Kerr said. “You know, last year, we started at times, we started small with Wiggins, JK, and Draymond. Later in the season, we wanted more size, we started Trayce. I would say all those guys are in the mix for starting jobs, but so is Brandon.

“This is not going to be as simple as, hey, Brandon’s going to start because he was our next-best guard off the bench last year, blah, blah, blah. It’s got to be which combinations work, what makes sense coming off the bench, and we’ll have to figure that out the next few weeks.”

I asked Kerr specifically what he thought about Melton, a tough-minded true shooting guard whose skill set seems to be compatible with a spot alongside Curry.

“He’s a two-way player, which I love,” Kerr said. “You know, the ability to connect multiple lineups. I think he brings that. He’s a catch-and-shoot guy. Just watching him scrimmage this past week at Chase, our guys are playing pickup ball as they get ready for camp. I watched him knock down four straight 3s in a scrimmage, but they were catch-and-shoot, like, no catch-and-hold. The game keeps going when he’s out there.

“I saw him set a split screen and slip to the rim and get a layup off a pass from Kyle Anderson. It’s like, we haven’t even worked on that yet, right? But these guys know how we play. They have a good feel for the game.”

Kuminga is always a talking point with the Warriors. Last week, Kuminga told me he and Kerr are working well together after some rougher times last season. But there are big questions about Kuminga’s role on this team and the rookie extension he’s eligible to receive until the Oct. 31 deadline.

“We have a great relationship,” Kerr said. “I think JK, if you look at his three years here, I think it would look like the stock market over 10 years. You know, there’s been some dips for sure, moments where I sat him, didn’t play him, took him out of the rotation. But from when he walked in here three years ago to now, he is dramatically better. And that’s how this is supposed to go.

“I’ve talked to him about this year … what our expectations are, what I’m excited about. He’s excited about it. He loves it here. He’s told me that.

“I think the hardest part for him — he doesn’t have the extension yet. And he’s seen some of the guys in the same draft get extensions. But he understands the business. He still has some things to prove. And he’s committed to going out and doing them. And I’m going to help him every step.”

Kerr said recently that he could play Kuminga a lot more if Kuminga fit better as a small forward. Kuminga last week said he’s always been a small forward. There’s a way to solve this, but it will take the right lineup combinations and Kuminga feeling more confident with his outside shot, Kerr said.

“He’s definitely a small forward if we’ve got a shooting five out on the floor, right?” Kerr said. “Because then all the skill stuff that you want out of a three, attacking the rim, getting there [is open]. Now you’ve got a spread floor. So if we’re playing Trayce and Draymond, I’m going to have a hard time playing JK at the three. But that’s kind of what I’m talking about with camp.

“Let’s see what happens with Kyle Anderson. Let’s see what happens with a healthy Gary Payton. And hopefully there are more combinations that we can play this year, where JK does play a little bit more three and that he shoots it well enough and quickly enough to force defenses to come out at him.”

Kerr revamped his coaching staff in the offseason by adding two big names: former Portland Trail Blazer coach Terry Stotts and former standout NBA player and Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse. They’ll have specific roles, Kerr said.

“Chemistry is going to be great,” Kerr said. “I love Terry. I’ve always enjoyed visiting with him. I didn’t know him well, but I always enjoyed watching his Portland teams. One of the reasons I went after him was because I loved Portland’s motion and flow that they ran under Terry. But it was a little more structured, and I’d like to see more of that structure for our team to make the game a little bit easier on some of our young guys. … He’s also just an amazing guy. Going to be a guy I really enjoy just hanging with and having dinner with and talking politics and life.

“Jerry, we’ve missed having a former player on our staff the past year or two. We needed a guy of Jerry’s status and stature, not just a former player but an All-Star, not just a former All-Star but a head coach in college for five years, a guy who put in the work in Toronto as their G-League coach. Jerry’s really, really sharp, really smart. So he’s got a lot of good ideas, good thoughts. He will join forces with our defensive side of the staff: Chris DeMarco, Ron Adams, Jacob Rubin.”

How many times have we theorized that the Warriors were starting a swan-song season for the Curry era? In each of the last five falls? Six?

Maybe the Warriors are already deep into their decline and just refuse to admit it. But if you’ve got Curry, and you’ve got a creative front office, why would you ever surrender?

“The first thing I would say is Mike Dunleavy is amazing,” Kerr said of the Warriors’ general manager. “The guy was so well-prepared for this job and to handle this particular job. Bob [Myers] did an incredible job of mentoring him. The fact that Mike was here over the last six years [as Myers’ lieutenant], while this thing has been extended and continues on, he’s already got relationships with Steph and Draymond and Joe and all of our key people. And he is crushing it.

“What Mike has done is fantastic, and I love working with him every day. And he’s doing a hell of a job allowing this thing to continue to move in a very similar manner that Bob did, you know, with a dignity, with communication strength, where the players really respect him. And so he really does remind me of Bob.

“And then the other factor is Joe’s been here this entire time, and he knows Steph and Draymond. We all know each other so well. We know the one thing with Joe is he wants to win no matter what. And that commitment has been important for us and our organization. And that is never going to change as long as Joe is here. While we have lost some people along the way, most notably Bob and Klay, to me it still feels like this thing is going. And we’re trying to carry it out as long as we can.”