The Golden State Warriors may not yet know whether Steve Kerr will return, but one possible succession plan is already beginning to take shape. According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, the Warriors would pursue Florida head coach Todd Golden if Kerr does not come back, with Golden described as a top target in part because of an existing relationship with the Lacob family.
Golden, 40, coached at the University of San Francisco for three seasons before leaving for Florida, where he went on to win a national championship.
If Steve Kerr does not return, the Warriors will pursue Florida head coach Todd Golden, sources tell @KevinOConnor.
The Lacob family “has a relationship” with Golden, who coached at the University of San Francisco for three seasons before leaving for Gainesville. pic.twitter.com/f1rVulktjK
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 21, 2026
This is not being reported as an active coaching search. It is a contingency. So the framing does matter… for now. Kerr remains undecided about his future after Golden State’s season ended in the play-in, and his contract situation remains one of the central questions of the Warriors’ offseason. Kerr plans to meet soon with general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and owner Joe Lacob, while Draymond Green said publicly that he doubts Kerr will return, even if he hopes otherwise.
If Golden is indeed high on Golden State’s list, the appeal is easy enough to understand. He is young but already accomplished, has Bay Area roots through his USF tenure, and has built a reputation as one of college basketball’s sharper modern coaches. At the same time, the fit is not uncomplicated. O’Connor’s report arrives against the backdrop of another ESPN-linked discussion, relayed in follow-up coverage, that the Warriors could consider the college ranks but would also have to reckon with the challenge of handing an aging veteran core to an inexperienced NBA head coach. That is not a minor concern when Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler define both the timeline and the pressure of the job.
That is what makes this rumor interesting beyond the name itself. Todd Golden would not simply represent a coaching change. He would represent a philosophical pivot. Kerr has been the steward of a dynasty, a communicator as much as a tactician, and a figure whose credibility with championship veterans was built over years of winning at the highest level. Replacing that with a rising college coach would signal that the Warriors are not just searching for continuity, but possibly for reinvention.
