Steve Kerr signs 2-year deal to stay with the Warriors

Steve Kerr is staying. The Warriors head coach agreed to a two-year contract to remain in Golden State, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Saturday night, citing Kerr's agents Dan Eveloff and Rick Smith of Priority Sports. The deal ends weeks of speculation about whether the 60-year-old Kerr — whose previous record-setting two-year, $35M deal had quietly run out — would walk away after the Warriors flamed out in the play-in tournament against Phoenix.

Kerr had told ESPN in the final week of the season there was "about a 50-50 chance" he'd return, and openly mused that head-coaching jobs have an "expiration date." But ownership wanted him locked in for the long haul — Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy had been clear they weren't interested in a one-year farewell tour — and Kerr ultimately couldn't walk away from Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. He's repeatedly said he never wanted to "abandon" the two players who built this run with him.

Twelve seasons. Four titles. The most successful coaching tenure in franchise history is now stretching to fourteen. Whether that means another championship window or just one more victory lap depends entirely on what Lacob and Dunleavy do this offseason — Curry turns 38 in March, Green is 36, and the supporting cast around them needs work. But Kerr being back means the door isn't closed yet.