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Kerr to return as coach of Warriors

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Steve Kerr will remain head coach of the Golden State Warriors, agreeing to a two-year contract on Saturday to return to the team, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Next season will be Kerr’s 13th in charge of the Warriors and comes after speculation that he could leave the team after missing the playoffs.

The deal will keep Kerr as the highest-paid coach in the NBA annually. He made $17.5 million next season.

Kerr has been the Warriors’ coach since 2014 and immediately helped the franchise embark on a dynasty-level run with four NBA titles and six NBA Finals appearances in eight years. Golden State went 73-9 during the 2015-16 season to break the all-time wins record, set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, a team that Kerr was a member of.

The injury-ravaged Warriors went 37-45 this past season and finished as the 10th seed in the Western Conference. They were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the play-in bracket.

“I still love coaching, but I get it,” Kerr said the night his team was eliminated in Phoenix. “These jobs all have an expiration date. There is a run that happens, and when that ends, sometimes it’s time for new blood and new ideas.”

In addition to four titles as coach of the Warriors, Kerr won five as a player with the Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.