Hornets’ Moussa Diabate Wins 2025/26 Hustle Award

Hornets big man Moussa Diabate is the winner of the NBA’s Hustle Award for the 2025/26 season, the league announced today.

The Hustle Award, which debuted in 2017, isn’t voted on by media members, players, or executives like other end-of-season awards. It’s based on a statistical formula that utilizes several “hustle” stats and is designed to recognize players whose efforts might not appear in the box score but “impact winning on a nightly basis.”

Among qualified players, Diabate ranked first on a per-minute basis in offensive box outs, fourth in screen assists, eighth in offensive loose balls recovered, 10th in contested two-point shots, and 11th in defensive box outs and contested three-point shots.

Diabate set new career highs in games played (73), starts (47), and minutes per game (26.0) in 2025/26, helping provide some stability at the five for a Hornets team whose center position looked like a major question mark entering the season following the offseason trades of Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkic. The 24-year-old was among the Hornets who played key roles in the team’s improvement from 19 wins in 2024/25 to 44 victories this season.

Hawks guard Dyson Daniels was the runner-up for the Hustle Award, per the NBA, with 2025 winner Draymond Green of the Warriors finishing in third. Grizzlies rookie Cedric Coward and Knicks swingman Josh Hart rounded out the top five.

Steve Kerr Appears To Be Open To Staying With Warriors

There’s a growing belief in the Warriors‘ organization that Steve Kerr is seriously considering a new agreement to remain the team’s head coach, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

No decision was reached as Kerr met with controlling owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. for two hours on Monday. However, Poole cites several signs that Kerr is leaning toward keeping his current job.

Multiple league sources tell Poole that Kerr discussed the future as well as the just-completed season when he met with players and staff members following the team’s elimination from the play-in tournament. Those discussions led to optimism that he’ll be back on the bench next season.

“From what I understand, (Kerr) in those meetings didn’t sound like someone who didn’t plan on coaching next season,” one of Poole’s sources said.

“I think it’s more like 50-50 that he comes back,” another league source told Poole on Wednesday. “When the season ended, I would have said it was at least 60-40 that he’d leave.”

Poole indicated last week that Kerr was leaning toward stepping down, but the situation appears to have changed since then. Poole points toward “increasing belief in recent days” that the longer negotiations continue without a resolution, the more likely Kerr is to stay.

Talks are still ongoing with Lacob and Dunleavy to figure out what a return might look like. Poole states that the factors that will determine Kerr’s final decision include roster construction, management’s plans for the offseason, and a compromise on Kerr’s outspokenness on social and political issues. Poole describes Kerr as “uneasy with suppression” of his public statements.

Poole adds that the front office wants Kerr to become more flexible with his coaching tactics, particularly involving younger players, while insisting on more accountability from everyone, including franchise legends Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

Poole states that money won’t be a major factor in whether Kerr returns, with sources telling him that this isn’t a negotiating tactic for a higher salary. Poole emphasizes that “professional and personal principles” will ultimately guide Kerr’s decision, and that all the parties involved will have to be aligned before an agreement is reached.

Warriors Notes: Kerr, Green, Offseason, Giannis

At the end of an extensive, in-depth interview with Charles Bethea of The New Yorker (subscription required), Steve Kerr spoke as if he isn’t ready to step down as the Warriors‘ head coach. Kerr said he doesn’t want to “abandon” Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and the rest of the team, and said he still enjoys the work that coaching entails.

“I wake up excited to come to the gym and coach basketball and collaborate with the staff and see the players and try to help them achieve something,” Kerr told Bethea. “That’s an amazing life. And that’s all that really matters is: Do you enjoy what you do every day and are you fulfilled? I still am.”

Appearing on Yahoo Sports Daily on Tuesday (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested even if Kerr is interested in remaining in his current position, it’s not necessarily as simple as Golden State’s longtime head coach simply deciding whether or not to return.

“What I think people have misunderstood about this (is that) this is not a straight emotional decision, like, ‘Do I have it within me to coach the Warriors or not?'” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM).“There is not a contract sitting on the table. It’s not like the Warriors said, ‘Hey man, sign this anytime, whenever you feel like it.’ They did not have contract extension discussions. They called those off. Steve called those off. He is making the highest salary amongst all NBA coaches at $17 million, that’s a championship-competition-level salary. This team is not a championship contender right now.

“The other thing… (is) there is some desire within the organization for Steve Kerr to potentially change his coaching staff. There’s some desire for Steve Kerr to change some strategy, particularly offensively. That is not a controversial statement. When a team that is this expensive and this veteran underachieves and misses the playoffs, to say that you want potential changes is not a shocking thing. But the question is, is Kerr willing to make those changes? Is Kerr willing to coach for a different salary next year? These are the real questions. This is where the rubber meets the road.

“… This might come down to a negotiating thing. It might not be sentimental at all. This might be good old-fashioned negotiating. Steve Kerr can leave the sideline and walk right into a broadcasting job, in a selection of places, for big money and an easier life. So his leverage is there that he has that out there.”

As Kerr weighs his future, we have more on the Warriors:

  • Within that same New Yorker interview, Kerr also explained why he’s skeptical that Green will want to become a basketball coach after he retires as a player. “I don’t know that he’ll coach,” Kerr said. “He definitely has the brain for it. I don’t know if he has the patience. He’s an incredibly passionate, emotional guy, and that passion and energy has frequently gotten him in trouble. And I love him. I think he’s a really good-hearted person with an incredible brain, but if he wants to coach he’s going to have to learn how to control some of that emotion, that desire, and that fire that burns within him, and it’s not an easy thing to do.”
  • Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area evaluates the 2025/26 Warriors based on several areas, including offense, defense, new additions, and health, among others. Golden State’s stars – Curry and Jimmy Butler – earned the highest mark (a B-plus) from Johnson, since they remained highly productive when they were healthy.
  • Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) explores several of the decisions facing the Warriors this summer and wonders whether the team might try to maintain salary cap flexibility for 2027 if it doesn’t trade for a star in the coming months.
  • What would it take for the Warriors to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo in a summer trade? Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report considers that question and lays out a hypothetical scenario in which Golden State gives up four first-round picks along with Butler and Brandin Podziemski for the two-time MVP.

And-Ones: Golden, Warriors, World Cup, Hifi, Aspiration

Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports stated on his podcast earlier this week that the Warriors are expected to pursue Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden if Steve Kerr decides to step down, noting that Golden has an existing relationship with the Lacob family (Twitter video link). However, Golden told reporters on Wednesday that he has no plans to leave his current position.

“(I’m) definitely planning on coaching the Gators,” he said (Twitter video link).

Interestingly, Thomas Haugh‘s decision to return to the Gators for his senior year and continue playing under Golden was influenced by a conversation he had with Warriors forward Draymond Green. According to Mark Long of The Associated Press, Warriors rookie Will Richard, who played at Florida from 2022-25, arranged a conversation between his current teammate Green and his former teammate Haugh, who was viewed as a potential lottery pick if he had entered the 2026 draft.

“I think Draymond gave him great perspective on what life in the NBA is like and what life in college is like and how enjoyable it is,” Golden said. “And it allowed him to be like, ‘All right, the NBA, not sounding arrogant, but it will be there for him.’ It’s going to be there. And he only has one more opportunity to be at Florida. So they had a great conversation, and I think that got him kind of thinking.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • FIBA has officially announced the hosts for the 2030 and 2031 World Cups. The women’s basketball event in 2030 will take place in Tokyo, Japan, while the men’s tournament the following year will be held in France, with games played in Paris, Lyon, and Lille (Twitter links).
  • Paris Basketball guard Nadir Hifi, who went undrafted in 2023, tells the French outlet Le Parisien that he’s interested in the possibility of signing with an NBA team this offseason, as Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays. Hifi, 23, won the EuroLeague Rising Star award in 2024/25 and was the EuroLeague’s third-leading scorer this season at 18.9 points per game.
  • In advance of the sentencing of Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg, the NBA and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer both submitted letters to the federal judge overseeing the case, reports Baxter Holmes of ESPN. The attorney leading the league’s investigation into the Clippers’ relationship with Aspiration said Sanberg’s cooperation “substantially assisted our investigation, including our ability to develop a more complete understanding of key events,” whereas Ballmer’s attorney said the Clippers owner was “flagrantly defrauded” out of $60MM by Aspiration and requested that the judge’s sentence account for “the reputational damage that will take years to remediate.”

Warriors Notes: Kerr, Green, Podziemski, Horford

With another season in the books, a summer of uncertainty is on tap for the Warriors, who have a series of questions to answer in the coming weeks and months, including what the future holds for longtime head coach Steve Kerr.

Kerr is not under contract for next season. He signed a two-year extension in 2024, but now faces a team with a much murkier outlook. He recently said that he was unsure of his plans moving forward.

According to Nick Friedell and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, the odds are good that Kerr comes to an agreement with ownership to stick around, though Draymond Green recently expressed his doubts on the matter, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater.

I hope he’s our coach next season,” Green said. “You want my opinion? I think not. Just because it feels like that. It felt like that was it.”

Kerr is expected to take the next week or two to make his decision, per Slater. According to Friedell (via Twitter), the sentiment from Golden State’s exit interviews was that the players hope Kerr will be on the sidelines next season.

Slater adds that the team is not interested in a “last dance” with this team and coach, but is looking to come back with a refreshed roster and wants a coach with the energy to match (Twitter video link).

We have more Warriors news:

  • Green’s name appeared in trade rumors this season. That is unusual for his tenure in Golden State, but it could also be indicative of questions the Warriors are grappling with. Green has a $27MM player option for next season, and Friedell and Thompson write that the team is waiting to see what the former Defensive Player of the Year decides to do before they entertain the idea of trading him. It has been speculated that he is unlikely to test free agency, but the Warriors are light on tradable contracts, so if they want to change the roster, dealing Green would likely be the easiest way to do so. “I’ve never been so uncertain since earlier in my career in what happens next,” Green said, per Slater. “But I’m truly at a loss now because you don’t know what direction will be next. … I also hope I’m on this team next season. We also don’t know that. Man, if it was, what a run.” Discussing how long he hopes to keep playing on a recent podcast, Green said, “I feel great, and I just want to go until I’m done. I think for me, that’s probably another three years,” per Florito Maniego of NBC Sports Bay Area.
  • Brandin Podziemski is hopeful that he’ll be able to get a rookie scale extension completed with the Warriors this summer, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports. “I want to be here for the long term,” the 23-year-old guard said. “It’s always special having been the team that drafted you.” Friedell and Thompson indicate that there is a desire from the Warriors’ side to lock up Podziemski, despite a sometimes rocky relationship between the young player and the fanbase.
  • After a somewhat disappointing season, Al Horford is going to take some time before deciding if he wants to pick up his player option to stay with the Warriors next season, Friedell reports (via Twitter), adding that the 39-year-old expects to play for at least one more year but isn’t certain that will happen. Horford averaged 8.3 points and 4.9 rebounds this season, both career lows.

Victor Wembanyama Named Defensive Player Of The Year

Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025/26 season, the league announced on Monday (Twitter link). He’s the youngest player in league history to win the award, tweets Shams Charania of ESPN, and is the first player to win it in a unanimous vote, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

Wembanyama, who received all 100 first-place votes, led the NBA in total blocked shots (197) and blocks per game (3.1) by a significant margin and ranked second in defensive rebounds per game (11.5) despite playing just 29.2 minutes per night. His 28.5% defensive rebounding percentage was the highest mark in the league among qualified players.

The Spurs star also limited opponents to a 42.0% field goal percentage and anchored the NBA’s third-best defense. San Antonio allowed 103.6 points per 100 possessions when Wembanyama was on the court and gave up 113.7 points per 100 possessions when he sat.

Wembanyama was the favorite to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024/25, but a blood clot prematurely ended his season in February, preventing him playing in the 65 games necessary to qualify for consideration. He missed some time this year due to health issues, but met the 65-game criteria during the final week of the regular season.

Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, who previously finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Wembanyama in 2023/24, once again finished as the runner-up to his conference rival for a major award — he earned the second-most votes for Defensive Player of the Year, including 76 second-place votes and 11 for third place. Holmgren ranked second in the NBA in blocks per game (1.9) and was the primary interior presence on a Thunder team that had the league’s No. 1 defensive rating (106.5).

Pistons wing Ausar Thompson was the top Defensive Player of the Year vote-getter among perimeter players, coming in third behind Wembanyama and Holmgren with nine second-place votes and 33 third-place votes. Thompson ranked first in the NBA in steals per game (2.0) despite playing fewer minutes per contest (26.0) than the seven players who ranked right behind him in that category. Detroit was sandwiched between OKC and San Antonio with the league’s second-best defensive rating (108.9).

A total of 13 players showed up on at least one Defensive Player of the Year ballot, with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes rounding out the top five, in that order.

Celtics guard Derrick White, Thunder guard Cason Wallace, Rockets guard Amen Thompson, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Knicks forward OG Anunoby each received multiple votes, while Pistons center Jalen Duren, Warriors forward Draymond Green, and Heat big man Bam Adebayo showed up on one ballot apiece.

The full results can be viewed here (via Twitter).

While Defensive Player of the Year honors can, in some cases, ensure that a player qualifies for a higher maximum salary on his next contract, that won’t be the case for Wembanyama despite the fact that he’ll likely sign a maximum-salary rookie extension with the Spurs during the coming offseason. The Rose Rule criteria will require him to win MVP or DPOY or simply earn an All-NBA spot in 2026/27 in order to qualify for a contract that starts at 30% of the ’27/28 cap (instead of 25%).

Kerr’s Decision Could Lead To Major Changes For Warriors

The Warriors could be embarking on an “organizational reset” if head coach Steve Kerr decides not to return, several team sources tell Ramona Shelburne and Anthony Slater of ESPN. That could involve significant changes to the roster and coaching staff as the team tries to find a new direction following a 37-45 season and an exit in the play-in tournament.

After Friday’s loss at Phoenix, Kerr indicated that he’ll take a week or two before deciding whether to continue coaching. Team sources tell Shelburne that timeline is respectful to Kerr while giving the organization enough time to address its coaching situation before moving on to roster decisions. The sources also state that staff and philosophy questions will be discussed if Kerr returns, as management believes the team has become too reliant on three-point variance and wants to see more diversification in the offense and a greater emphasis on winning the possession battle.

There are lingering concerns about the 13-15 start when the roster was mostly healthy, Shelburne adds. Late-game performance, turnover problems and a sub-.500 record during a season when so many opponents were tanking were also worrisome.

“We didn’t find it earlier in the season,” Kerr said after the team was eliminated. “We were blowing some games we should’ve closed out. I could’ve done a better job. But when Jimmy (Butler) got hurt, it felt like we were finding it.”

Sources tell Shelburne that a wide search is expected for Kerr’s successor if he opts for retirement. College coaches could be in the mix, although Shelburne cites concerns about pairing someone who has no NBA experience with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Butler as they move into the final stages of their careers.

Changes to the coaching staff are expected even if Kerr stays, per Shelburne. Long-time assistant Chris DeMarco has already left to become head coach of the WNBA’s New York Liberty, and sources tell Shelburne that former Pelicans head coach Willie Green could return to the Warriors to work under Kerr again.

When Kerr discusses his future with management, owner Joe Lacob will want him to exhibit a strong desire to handle the day-to-day responsibilities of the job rather than stay out of loyalty to Curry and Green, according to Shelburne’s sources. They add that Lacob will ask Kerr to sign a multiyear contract instead of returning for a brief farewell tour.

According to Shelburne, the Warriors remain committed to general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., despite some outside rumors that he may be a candidate to run Chicago’s front office. She reports that Dunleavy recently signed an extension without any fanfare and has multiple years remaining on the deal.

Shelburne also notes that if Golden State’s roster remains largely intact next season, there will still be the issue of having three players in their late 30s who take up nearly 80% of the payroll. Curry will be eligible for an extension of up to two years this summer and has already talked about wanting to keep playing for multiple seasons. Butler will become extension-eligible in February, which is about when he’s projected to return from an ACL tear. Shelburne hears that he’s expected to focus on getting healthy again and work out his future next summer.

Green has a $27.6MM player option for next season that he’s expected to either exercise or use as the basis to negotiate a longer deal. He was reportedly included in the Warriors’ offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo at the deadline and while there’s a still a chance he could be moved for a star, sources tell Shelburne there is “no desire or mandate” to trade Green.

Shelburne suggests that Golden State could make another offer to the Bucks this summer or try again for Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who became a target in February after the Antetokounmpo deal fell through. She adds that LeBron James could also be a possibility in free agency if he decides to leave the Lakers.

Suns Notes: Green, Booker, Williams, Allen, Fleming, Brooks

Injuries prevented Jalen Green from contributing to the Suns for most of the season, but he made up for it with 36 points and eight three-pointers in Friday’s play-in victory over Golden State, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. It was a satisfying performance for Green, who was limited to 32 regular season games, mostly due to a hamstring injury he suffered during training camp that led to a long and frustrating healing process.

“Getting injured in the first place, coming back,” he recalled. “Getting injured again, coming back. I think it happened like three or four times. It was hard.”

Green admitted that he enjoyed eliminating the Warriors, who defeated his Houston team in seven games last year in his first playoff appearance. Even so, he was grateful for a post-game chat with Stephen Curry, whom he credits for helping to develop his game, relays Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area.

“He was just telling me to handle business in OKC,” Green said. “Coming from Steph, it means a lot to chop it up with him and just hear from him at the end of the day, just because I was maybe 16 years old when he was having me come out to Oakland just to work out with him. So he’s kind of been somewhat of a mentor. I was able to get his number and reach out throughout these years. So he’s been kind of something like a mentor. And playing against him is always great. He’s one of the greatest shooters — greatest players of all time.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

  • Devin Booker and Draymond Green both got tossed from Friday’s game after a prolonged shouting match late in the fourth quarter, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Booker downplayed the heated exchange in a post-game session with the media. “It’s nothing man,” he said. “I’ve been there before and I understand the situation. My big brother used to beat me in NBA Live back in the day and I’d throw a fit. He’s a competitor. He loves the sport.”
  • Mark Williams (left foot soreness) and Grayson Allen (left hamstring) are listed as questionable for Sunday’s series opener at Oklahoma City, Rankin states in a separate story. Both players sat out Friday’s game, although Williams played 22 minutes in Tuesday’s play-in contest against Portland. Allen, who was injured on April 10, was on the active roster on Friday but wasn’t used.
  • Rasheer Fleming looks like part of the Suns’ future after a promising rookie season, Rankin adds in another piece. Phoenix traded up to the top of the second round in last year’s draft to get Fleming, who made his first career start in the season finale and posted 16 points. “It’s been a great experience, honestly, on both ends,” he said. “For me to be able to watch and to be able to be on the floor throughout the season, it’s been great.” 
  • The Suns’ playoff appearance will result in a $1MM bonus for Dillon Brooks, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The bonus had been classified as unlikely because Phoenix didn’t qualify for the postseason last year.

Warriors Notes: Curry, Kerr, Draymond, Offseason

Two-time MVP Stephen Curry reflected on the past and looked forward to the future after the Warriors were eliminated from postseason contention on Friday night, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.

Before you win the title,” Curry said, “… you’re building the foundation for what a championship team looks like — even though you have no idea what that really meant. Then you accomplish it, then everything else is based off of that. It’s been that way since 2015. I think we can reshape the narrative, knowing in the back of our mind that (a title) is an ultimate goal. But we have to get back to the basics of what makes a good basketball team, a competitive basketball team every single night. …

Can we rethink how we do things with the foundation that we’ve established? We don’t have to keep saying ‘championship, championship, championship’ every day, even though we’ve experienced that. Can we build the foundation again with what this team needs to do, with the way that the game is played now, how fast it is, how young and athletic it is?

Thompson’s story is largely centered on the uncertain future of Steve Kerr, who simultaneously sounded ready to continue coaching — under the right conditions — and ready to walk away from the job he’s held for 12 years. Curry admitted he wasn’t expecting Kerr to thank him and Draymond Green before the game ended.

I was kind of fighting it, to be honest,” Curry said. “You’ve ended your season a lot of different ways, and you’ve had those moments on the sideline where you go up and down and thank everybody for what they poured into the year.

But for it to start with that conversation and that moment, it was definitely weird. … I do appreciate the fact that he took that moment because, regardless, we’re human beings, and we have to be able to acknowledge each other in that moment.”

For what it’s worth, multiple sources in the team’s locker room tell Thompson they expect Kerr to be back next season, though Thompson readily acknowledges that decision will be Kerr’s to make.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

  • As for Curry’s own future, he made it clear he wants to play at least two more seasons and is open to signing an extension this offseason, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. The 38-year-old guard is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him $62.6MM in 2026/27. “For sure,” Curry said. “But none of those conversations have happened. So it will be a busy summer for the Warriors.” The 17-year veteran also expressed optimism that his nagging right knee injury won’t bother him when next season rolls around, Friedell writes.
  • Draymond Green, who controls a $27.7MM player option for next season, sounded a little more uncertain about what could be in store for him going forward, Friedell adds in the same piece. The former Defensive Player of the Year reiterated he wants to stay with the only team he’s ever known — if Golden State wants him around. “I don’t know,” Green replied when asked about his future. “I’m not retiring from basketball, though. I still love to play and I think I’m still pretty decent. But this league we’re in, it’s an interesting one. And it’s one that you don’t really control everything, so for me, I hope I’ve done enough to still be here. Because at the end of the day, if I ain’t done enough I don’t want to be here.”
  • Bobby Marks of ESPN previews the Warriors’ offseason, writing that the team projects to be under the luxury tax in ’26/27 for the first time since ’19/20. A potential rookie scale extension for third-year guard Brandin Podziemski will be among the many decisions Golden State’s front office will face this summer, Marks notes.

Kerr Uncertain Whether He’ll Remain Warriors’ Coach

Steve Kerr isn’t sure if he’ll be coaching the Warriors next season. He is certain he won’t be coaching any other NBA team.

Golden State’s longtime head coach discussed his uncertain future after the Warriors were eliminated from postseason contention following Friday’s play-in loss in Phoenix.

There’s been plenty of speculation regarding Kerr, whose contract expired with the end of the Warriors’ season. The situation won’t be resolved immediately, as Kerr plans to take a week or two to gather his thoughts before meeting with controlling owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. regarding a new contract.

“We’ll talk about what’s next for the Warriors, what the plan is this offseason,” Kerr said, per The Associated Press. “And we will come to a collaborative decision on what’s next. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I still love coaching. But I get it. These jobs all have an expiration date.

“There’s a run that happens, and when the run ends, sometimes it’s time for new blood and new ideas and all that. And, if that’s the case, then I will be just nothing but grateful for the most amazing opportunity any person could have to coach this franchise, in front of our fans in the Bay and to coach Steph Curry, to coach (Draymond Green) and the whole group.”

Kerr has been the Warriors’ coach for 12 seasons. He has won four championships with Curry Green and Green leading the way.

Both of them are hoping Kerr will be back for a 13th season and beyond. Each player has one year remaining on his contract, though Green could become a free agent if he declines his $27.7MM player option.

“I want Coach to be happy. I want him to be excited about the job. I want him to believe you know he’s the right guy for the job,” Curry said. “I want him to have an opportunity to again enjoy what he does. So, whatever that means for him, you know, everybody’s plan is their own. And I’m not going to try to tell anybody what to do. He knows how I feel about him. That shouldn’t even need to be said.”

“I just don’t deal with change well,” Green said. “I don’t love it. So, I don’t want to think about that. I hope that’s not the case. but we’ll see what happens.”

Before the game ended, Kerr hugged both players and stated, “I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I love you guys to death. Thank you.”

Kerr indicated that coaching Curry the remainder of the Hall of Fame guard’s career is a consideration.

“That’s part of the equation,” Kerr said, per Anthony Slater of ESPN. “I don’t want to walk away from Steph. I’m definitely not going and coaching somewhere else next year in the NBA. I would never walk away from Steph. But all this stuff has to be aligned and right. Those are all discussions that will be had.”

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