The Los Angeles Lakers sent the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors home on Friday night with a 122-101 drubbing. The loss was not only sour for head coach Steve Kerr, it forced him to look ahead.
Has the championship window in Golden State closed? Are the glory years now behind them?
Kerr acknowledged that the 2022-2023 Warriors may not have been a championship team, but he still believes Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are a talented enough core to bring home more hardware.
“I will say is that Draymond, Klay, Steph, our core guys, they’ve got plenty left to offer. There’s still plenty in the tank,” Kerr said, via Yahoo! Sports. “I thought they all had great seasons and may not have ended on a high note, but all three guys are still high level players and I still feel like this team has championship potential.”
It may be wishful thinking but Kerr sees brighter skies ahead.
“We didn’t get there this year, but it’s not like this is the end of the road,” he said.
The Warriors now face a crucial offseason where Green has a $27.6 million player option and could head into free agency. Thompson, meanwhile, is eligible for a four-year, $220 million extension but that seems expensive for a player who would be 37 when the deal expires. And Curry himself only has three years remaining on his contract.
Above all else, general manager Bob Myers, who is the architect of a roster that won four NBA titles since 2015, has an expiring contract.
Kerr may be hopeful and confident in his squad, but the winds of change are blowing in Golden State.
