After the final buzzer sounded on the Golden State Warriors play-in loss to the Phoenix Suns, Steve Kerr pulled Stephen Curry and Draymond Green close and told them, “I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I love you guys to death. Thank you.” It felt less like a routine moment and more like a possible goodbye. Kerr later admitted he would take “a week or two” to evaluate his future, acknowledging that even long coaching runs eventually reach an end. Now, Bill Simmons has outlined what could change that decision, and it centers on two of the biggest stars in the league landing in the Bay Area.

During a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, the veteran analyst argued that Kerr’s future with Golden State hinges on whether LeBron James arrives. “I think he either stays in LA or he goes to Golden State… This is kind of tied to LeBron. If they don’t get LeBron, I think this is it for Steve Kerr,” Simmons said. The takeaway was not sentimental, it was a blunt assessment of what the Warriors currently are and what they need to become.

Simmons pushed the idea even further, turning it into a full-scale veteran superteam scenario. “I am all in on LeBron going to Golden State next year. Can I have Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson join him? Let’s go full Expendables. Golden State ends up with LeBron, Curry, Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Al Horford,” he said. The appeal, according to Simmons, goes beyond wins. “Even I would be rooting for this team. Every game sells out. Tickets become impossible. Steve Kerr comes back for two more years, and we’re off.”

The logic comes from where Golden State currently stands. The Warriors finished 37-45 as the 10-seed after Jimmy Butler III tore his ACL and Curry missed extended time with a knee issue. The roster is not broken, but it is clearly at a crossroads, and Kerr has acknowledged that reality.

That crossroads feels immediate. Kerr told ESPN he views his future as roughly “50-50,” and multiple networks including ESPN, Amazon, and NBC have already shown interest in him as an analyst if he steps away. When Simmons’ co-host pointed out that Durant had already turned down a Warriors reunion the previous year, Simmons dismissed it. “That was two teams ago. Now he’s ready to reconsider. He should have gone. Maybe his mistake was he shouldn’t have done it,” he said.

Simmons’ “Expendables” Dream For Kerr Has One Major Obstacle

The history between Kevin Durant and Golden State’s front office is more complicated than Simmons’ optimism allows for. Durant reportedly had no interest in reuniting with Golden State when the Warriors pursued him around the trade deadline in early 2025, while he was still a member of the Phoenix Suns. Reports from both Marc Stein and ESPN’s Shams Charania confirmed he had made that preference clear.

Durant later confirmed Golden State was in serious consideration, but his camp steered him elsewhere, and the blockbuster deal sent him to the Houston Rockets in a historic seven-team trade that summer. That decision is recent and leaves little ambiguity about where he stood.

But the situation may be shifting. Reports suggest the Rockets could view Durant, who still has two years and roughly $90 million left on his deal, as a potential trade piece in a larger reset. Multiple teams are expected to show interest, and Golden State remains one of them.

Insiders expect the Warriors to be aggressive this offseason. According to Zach Lowe, their priority list starts with Giannis Antetokounmpo, followed by Kawhi Leonard, and then LeBron. Simmons’ co-host framed the bigger picture clearly. “For entertainment purposes, it sounds great… Wemby and the Thunder just demand everyone’s coming together. All the old guys go, we can’t beat them apart.” The rise of young contenders has pushed veteran stars toward consolidation, making scenarios like this feel less unrealistic than before.

The logistics remain extremely difficult. A roster featuring LeBron, Curry, Durant, Thompson, Green, and Horford would likely become the oldest superteam in league history, and building it would require sacrificing young players, draft capital, and potentially convincing LeBron to take a pay cut.

None of it is impossible, but none of it comes easy. What Simmons made clear is the central idea, Kerr’s return hinges on whether the franchise can land a transformative star. If Golden State brings back a similar roster next season, that emotional moment between Kerr, Curry, and Green may end up meaning exactly what it looked like.

As Kerr put it after the elimination, “I don’t want to walk away from Steph. But all this stuff has to be aligned and right.” That alignment, the stars, the roster, and the urgency to contend, is exactly what Simmons is pointing toward.