5 Potential Coaching Staff Additions for the Golden State Warriors

Steve Kerr made some headlines last week when he went on the Tim Kawakami Show and said that he expects there to be some changes to the coaching staff this upcoming season.

“There’s going to be some changes and I’ve talked to the staff about it. I’ve met with every guy. We are now in a position where we’ve been together for so long and we haven’t had the type of internal change that we had 5 years ago when Luke Walton took the Lakers job and took a couple guys with him. A staff is no different from a roster where you get a little stale and you need some new blood, you need some new energy. You need to maybe move some things around. Move pieces around. Change roles. There’s a lot that we’re discussing. So there are going to be some changes and I don’t know what they’re exactly going to be yet, but I do feel like we’re in a position now where we need a little energy shift within the organization. That’s something Bob and I have discussed and as I’ve said I’ve discussed it with our whole staff and we’re all in agreement frankly that we’re in a position now where we need a little jolt.”

Now it’s worth keeping in mind that the Warriors make tweaks to their coaching staff every season, so it’s not that groundbreaking of a statement from Kerr, but nevertheless, with the way in which it was framed it’s still notable enough to discuss.

As Kerr noted, the Warriors have had relatively the same staff for the last five seasons and have mostly just added new coaches into the mix of their already existing core. The only significant departure they’ve within that time frame was Willie Green, who left for Suns ahead of the 2019/20 season in an elevated role.

So who are some names that could potentially be added to the mix?

Kris Weems

Following two seasons as an assistant coach, Weems has been the head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors since the 2019–20 season, succeeding Aaron Miles. He previously served as an assistant/player development coach for Golden State from 2011–2013 and as a scout during the 2013-14 season.

Since the end of the 2021 G League season, Weems has been up with Golden State’s staff working with them and similarly spent time with them during pre-season and training camp working with their young players and Exhibit 10 camp invites (Axel Toupane, Kaleb Wesson, and Dwayne Sutton). Most recently he has been credited for his role in Jordan Poole’s development and emergence this season following Poole’s success in the G League.

Given Weems’s productivity both with Santa Cruz’s team success and player development, as well as his prior experience, and already existing proximity to the coaching staff, it seems likely that an eventual Aaron Miles-type promotion to the big team is on the cards for him soon.

Lloyd Pierce

Pierce served as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks for three seasons before being let go this past March. Prior to that, he had stints across the NBA as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors (2010–11), and Cleveland Cavaliers.

During Pierce’s five-year tenure with the 76ers, he was a major part of their defensive identity and player development; specifically receiving praise from Robert Covington for his role in RoCo’s development.

He has also been an assistant coach for the USA National Team alongside Steve Kerr since 2019 and they will be coaching together during the upcoming Olympics.

Pierce is expected to be among the leading candidates for the Boston Celtics vacancy. Celtics’ newly minted President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, who will be involved in the search for his head coaching replacement, said about Pierce back in March “he can do whatever he wants next. He’s going to be in high demand across the NBA…I’m a big fan of Lloyd Pierce, put it that way.”

If Pierce were to be passed up for the Celtics job and weren’t to receive any better opportunities, he on paper would be a sensible addition to Kerr’s staff given that he is a Bay Area native, who is a former Warriors assistant, and has an already pre-existing relationship with Kerr.

Brett Brown

Brown was the Philadelphia 76ers head coach for seven consecutive seasons before being let go last August following a first-round exit from the playoffs. He would subsequently leave his role as the head coach of the Australian National Team two months later.

While Brown was never quite able to reach the level of success with his team that Doc Rivers was able to this year (at least in the regular season), he was a major part of the foundation of the “process” Sixers which birthed the current Eastern Conference first seed. Outside of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, during his tenure, they identified and produced numerous NBA talents in Robert Covington, TJ McConnell, Jerami Grant, Richaun Holmes, and Christian Wood.

Steve Kerr and Brett Brown have an existing relationship that goes back to Kerr’s playing days and in a 2016 interview Kerr actually said about Brown that “there’s nobody better for this job of rebuilding and trying to develop young players than Brett.”

Considering Kerr’s commendation of Brown’s player development, as well as their familiarity with one another, a union could make some sense.

Dave Fizdale

Fizdale is a former Warriors assistant (2003–04) who last served as the head coach of the New York Knicks during the 2018-19 season.

Back in 2017 after Fizdale was relieved of his head coaching duties by the Memphis Grizzlies, Kerr offered words of support, calling him “one of the best coaches in the league,” while adding that “he’s a brilliant guy, he’s got an edge to him, he’s tough, he’s smart.” Fizdale would later join the Warriors for a practice session that season before landing a new gig.

Similarly, after Fizdale was let go by the Knicks in 2019, Kerr when asked about it would once again offer praise, sharing that he’s a “big fan of David’s. I’ve gotten to know him pretty well over the years, he’s a hell of a coach.”

If the Warriors are looking to add a “little jolt” and “new energy” as Kerr told Kawakami above, Fizdale could be an appropriate addition.

David West

Following his retirement from professional basketball in 2018, West joined The Professional Collegiate League as Chief Operating Officer, which is set to launch its inaugural season this year.

The Indiana Pacers have reportedly tried adding West to their staff numerous times in the past and he has declined due to his other endeavors.

Last week Bob Myers shared on 95.7 The Game that they had talked to West and were going to “get something going with him” in connection with James Wiseman this off-season. Now that’s pretty vague and doesn’t necessarily mean the Warriors or West would consider a coaching staff opportunity, especially with his commitments to the PCL, but it’s possible he could join in a Steve Nash-type player development consultant role where he would only be involved in a part-time basis that could fit around his schedule.

Regardless, given the importance of Wiseman’s development for the organization, it would seem prudent for the Warriors to add a big-specific development coach in some capacity who can work directly with Wisemam alongside Theo Robertson.