Steve Kerr's Warriors decision is no longer just a basketball decision

Twelve seasons in, four titles in the rearview, and the most interesting Steve Kerr coaching question of his career has nothing to do with another team trying to poach him.

Per Marc Stein, ESPN has been pushing hard to lure Kerr back into broadcasting, and the timing makes the conversation feel real.

Stein, in his Sunday newsletter, portrayed the Warriors as quietly confident the deal will get done.

"League sources tell The Stein Line that ESPN's top executives have been lobbying Kerr aggressively to try to convince him to return to the world of NBA broadcasting, but the Warriors are expected to meet with Kerr as early as Monday to resume discussions about his status. I'm told Golden State has been operating internally in recent days as though it is more likely than not that a common ground can be found with the 60-year-old on a new deal that would keep him in place coaching Stephen Curry."

Two things are true at once. Kerr is at the end of his current deal, the Warriors got bounced in the Play-In by Phoenix in a 111-96 loss, and his comments to Curry and Draymond Green in those final minutes did not sound like a coach with a plan.

He met with owner Joe Lacob and GM Mike Dunleavy for roughly two hours last week. Per The Athletic's Nick Friedell, that meeting, as reported, was "good" and "productive," but no resolution.

The other piece is harder for fans to ignore. Kerr's history in broadcasting goes back to TNT in 2003, with a return stint from 2010 to 2014 before he took the Warriors job, so making him not a project for ESPN. He'd be the headliner on day one.

The Warriors clearly want a multi-year deal, not a one-year handshake, specifically to avoid another Last Dance vibe like the one Kerr lived through as a player in Chicago. That tells me they've thought hard about how this looks if it ends up dragging into next spring with no extension.

If I had to guess, the Monday meeting probably gets it done. But the fact that ESPN is the one applying real pressure here, and not another franchise, is the part of this story that's actually new.

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