Head coach Steve Kerr is in the final year of his two-year deal signed in 2024. But the Golden State Warriors fans have seemingly spotted the front office with a new candidate. Before the game against the Celtics at the Chase Center, GM Mike Dunleavy was candidly speaking to the former Bucks coach, which sparked the netizens’ interest.

Mike Budenholzer, who won the championship with the Bucks, recently had his stint with the Suns. On April 14, 2025, he was fired after just one season with Phoenix, after missing the playoffs despite having Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. That chapter doesn’t define the 56-year-old’s career, which had multiple high points.

During his five-year tenure in Milwaukee, he secured the best regular-season record in the league three times and finished with a 271-120 record. His efforts were enough to guide the Bucks to their first championship in 50 years. Even before that, Budenholzer led the Hawks to a franchise-record 60 wins en route to the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals. Even though Steve Kerr has a stacked resume, there have been some cracks in his methodology.

While Budenholzer was watching, an injury-depleted Warriors looked out of sorts against the Celtics. Boston shredded the Golden State’s defense for 74 first-half points. They had twelve three-pointers, and the Dub Nation was down 23. Despite having Kristaps Porzingis available, he started from the bench, and in the second quarter, Steve Kerr’s team had no response to a 38-19 quarter.

This in-game management could be the reason why the front office is also uncertain about the current Warriors’ head coach. The 60-year-old recently stated that he doesn’t want to leave the organization anytime soon. “I can tell you I’m not gonna become a free agent and go sign with another team to coach,” Kerr further emphasized. “But it all has to play out with the organization, but yeah, hopefully that’s how it ends up. But you never know.”

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Steve Kerr’s future looks bleak, according to fans

Apparently, Kerr’s assistants are already looking for a new environment. According to a report from The Ringer last month, Steve Kerr’s assistants are “operating under the premise” that this will be his last. If that’s the case, it makes sense why netizens believe Mike Dunleavy is looking for a new coach. “scouting new coach 👀👀👀👀👀.”

Another reason could be financial. Reportedly, Kerr hasn’t committed to an extension as he is now seeking a raise. He earns approximately $17.5 million per season, and the raise would increase the bar even higher. On the other hand, Budenholzer was on a five-year deal worth over $50 million. Since he is already earning a check from the Suns as they fired him, the financials could leverage this situation. So a fan wrote, “Next coach !!”

Budenholzer and Steve Kerr are also tied to the same coaching tree under Spurs legend Gregg Popovich. Both of them quickly earned applause in the early stages of their career. Thus, fans are certain, “Yea he going to be our next coach.”

In terms of tactical approach, Budenholzer keeps his attacks simple and reliant on layups and 3s. And on the defensive end, it may seem vanilla, but it does the job, as the team’s average is not far from the league average. That’s why Budenholzer’s glimpse was enough to convince a fan. “Next head coach of GSW.”

The owner, Joe Lacob, previously offered a cryptic answer about Kerr’s future in the Bay Area. As long as Kerr still had the fire, he would want him back. That’s the question that is looming around the fanbase for Budenholzer: “Is he our next coach?”