Steve Kerr witnessed the end of a dynasty first-hand when he was a member of the Chicago Bulls in the late 1990s, and he doesn’t believe his Golden State Warriors are at that stage.
When asked during an appearance on the “Willard and Dibs” show whether Game 5 could be the last time he coaches their Big 3, Kerr clearly stated that wasn’t the case.
“No. No. Never crossed my mind,” Kerr said. “I played on those Bulls teams, the ‘Last Dance,’ I can tell you from experience, even though everybody now says, ‘Well, why didn’t they keep that team together?’ That team was done, that team was finished. Emotionally, mentally, there was nothing left in the tank. I don’t feel that way about this team at all, I think these guys, Steph (Curry), Klay (Thompson), Draymond (Green), they’ve got lots to give for years to come. I never even have stopped to give that a second thought.”
Warriors Coach Steve Kerr on if it has crossed his mind that this could be the last game with the big 3.
(@WillardAndDibs) pic.twitter.com/otlo7bVuaT
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 10, 2023
Kerr has stated in the past as well that this is not the ‘Last Dance’ for the Warriors, as it was clear in 1997 that it was going to be the final season together for that Bulls team. That isn’t the case here, as the Warriors want to keep their Big 3 of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green together.
Kerr and the Warriors believe they still have plenty of gas left in the tank, even if they do end up losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference Semifinals. The trio has had success this season, with Curry having averaged 29.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 6.3 APG, while Thompson put up 21.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 2.4 APG. Draymond didn’t put up big numbers, with averages of 8.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 6.8 APG, but he has been one of their better defenders and you can never really judge him solely on his numbers. Kerr, meanwhile, also seemed to confirm here that he isn’t going anywhere after the season either.
A Breakup Of The Big 3 Seems Inevitable
While the Warriors want to keep the trio together, a breakup seems inevitable, either this year or next. Curry isn’t going anywhere, but one of the other two is almost certainly on the way out. Draymond has a player option for next season and he reportedly wants a max contract from Golden State. If he opts out and if another team gives him the deal he wants, it would appear he will leave.
As for Klay, he too is expecting a max contract this offseason as per reports. It is just not going to be possible for the Warriors to keep both of them if they want the max. Even if they drop their demands a little bit, they still won’t be able to retain them both. It looks like they’ll have to make a decision on which one to keep between these two and it’ll be interesting to see what direction they go.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
