Pacific Notes: Kerr, Williams, Goodwin, James

One of the biggest questions that will shape the Warriors‘ offseason is what head coach Steve Kerr decides regarding his future.

For the man who has led Golden State for the last 12 seasons, that decision will be determined by several factors, but a crucial part of it is the star player he has spent his career in collaboration with, Nick Friedell writes for The Athletic.

“I don’t want to walk away from [Stephen Curry],” Kerr said after the Warriors’ season ended. “I’m definitely not going and coaching somewhere else next year in the NBA. I would never walk away from Steph, but all the stuff has to be aligned and right.”

Kerr said that much of the success he experienced while building the team’s culture over the years came from the fact that he and Curry share the same values, not just in basketball but in life.

The 60-year-old coach will not rush his decision, nor will the team push him on it, according to Anthony Slater at ESPN. Instead, Kerr will take a week or two to gauge what he’s looking for over the next few years.

“It’s April,” a team source said. “We don’t need to rush.”

We have more from around the Pacific Division:

• Mark Williams is out for the Suns‘ Game 3 against the Thunder on Saturday, Duane Rankin of AZ Central notes (via Twitter). Williams has missed the start of the series due to a stress reaction in his left foot that has kept him sidelined since April 10. Oso Ighodaro started Game 2 in his place, though rookie big man Khaman Maluach closed the game, playing the entire fourth quarter.
• After grinding his way from depth piece to a valuable part of the Suns‘ rotation, Jordan Goodwin‘s energy is needed now more than ever, Doug Haller writes for The Athletic. Goodwin ended up starting 10 games for Phoenix during the regular season, including his last three games, and started Game 1 before the calf injury sidelined him after just five minutes. Goodwin is a game-time decision, Rankin writes (via Twitter), as is Grayson Allen.
• LeBron James added yet another magical playoff moment to his impressive collection in the Lakers‘ Game 3 victory over the Rockets on Friday, The Athletic’s Dan Woike writes. James capped off a 30-second, six-point comeback by hitting a three-pointer in front of the Rockets’ bench, eventually sending the game to overtime when his attempted game-winner rimmed out. “In the moment right now, I don’t really think about it,” teammate Rui Hachimura said about playing alongside James. “But I think in the future, I’ll start thinking about how crazy this whole thing was. Almost like in a dream, you know.”