Steve Kerr is returning to the Golden State Warriors. His top assistants are not.
Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse, the two highest-ranking assistants on Kerr’s staff, are leaving the franchise after two years each in Golden State, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater. Both men’s contracts reportedly expired after this season.
In both cases, the coaches are reportedly leaving to pursue head coaching opportunities, something that isn’t going to be available with the Warriors after Kerr signed a high-priced, two-year extension with the team.
Stotts held the title of lead assistant and offensive coordinator and joined the Warriors after stints as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks. He reportedly informed Kerr he intended to leave late in the regular season and wished the team well:
“I enjoyed my time with Steve, the staff and players,” Stotts said. “My two years there were fulfilling. Nothing but well-wishes.”
Stackhouse was the Warriors’ defensive coordinator and previously worked as the head coach of Vanderbilt and the G League’s Raptors 905.
Terry Stotts (far left) and Jerry Stackhouse (second from right) were the top two assistants on Steve Kerr’s staff.
(Tyler Kaufman via Getty Images)
Those exits are in addition to Chris DeMarco, a longtime Warriors assistant who left in November to become the head coach of the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
Former New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green is reportedly among the candidates to fill one of the multiple empty spots in the Warriors coaching staff, having previously worked under Kerr from 2016 to 2019.
The Warriors’ upheaval this offseason likely won’t be limited to the coaching staff, as the team is widely expected to pursue a major move while reworking the roster around Stephen Curry. That could very well involve moving on from Draymond Green, who acknowledged the possibility after the team’s season-ending loss in the NBA play-in tournament.
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