The Golden State Warriors are 33-35 and sitting in 9th place in the Western Conference. Without Steph Curry as of late and Jimmy Butler gone for the rest of the season, they’ve slowly fallen down the standings. It’s looking like they are a long shot to win a fifth title in twelve years, but Steve Kerr doesn’t think that they should stop trying to because of that.
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It all started when a fan joined a local radio show in the Bay Area that Kerr frequently speaks on. The fan questioned Curry’s desire to return this season as he deals with a knee injury. They concluded by asking why the Warriors are trying to get into the play-in tournament when they know they will lose to teams like the OKC Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs.
This comment seemed to upset Kerr.
“Oh, so we should just quit?” he facetiously asked on 95.7 The Game.
It was a very poignant statement coming from the future Hall of Fame head coach. In his twelve years with the Warriors, Kerr has only ever openly tanked in one season. However, the team used their second overall pick on James Wiseman, one of the biggest busts in recent memory.
“So we should just quit? What is the point of what we’re doing? It’s competition…Every opportunity you have to make the playoffs, you want it because you always have a chance.”
– Steve Kerr responds to a caller questioning, “Play-In for what??” (via @WillardAndDibs). pic.twitter.com/u17cJZirn3
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 18, 2026
Wiseman must have left a stain on Kerr’s mentality towards tanking, because he doesn’t understand the concept of simply giving up anymore.
“What is the point of what we’re doing? It’s competition. We’re playing to compete and to go and see what we can do and give ourselves a chance,” Kerr argued. “Like, I don’t understand the concept of, ‘You know what? I don’t think we can beat any of these teams, so let’s just not try to win.’ Like, what is that?”
The concept made no sense to Kerr. He thinks that his players should be training to compete as they’ve done for their entire lives. Otherwise, what’s the point of playing the game?
“Look, every opportunity you have to make the playoffs, you have to want it. Because you always have a chance. And I understand, without Jimmy [Butler], we’re going to be heavy underdogs against just about anybody. But what’s the point? The whole point is that we play. We compete.”
Even while in a position to make the play-in, the Warriors still have the 12th-worst record in the NBA and are in the lottery as of now. So, they could end up getting a decent draft pick regardless of how the season ends. Because of this, we agree with Kerr and say that Golden State should try to compete the rest of the campaign.
At the end of the day, some NBA fans’ gut reaction when their team is out of it is to tank. But Kerr is upholding some serious morals that have been brushed aside by various franchises in recent decades. Many fans dislike how many teams are currently trying to tank for a higher draft pick. Why is he being criticized for bucking that trend?
Kerr said it himself: next year Curry will be 39. As long as he’s healthy or on track to return at some point, the plan is to try and win it all. Tanking is only wasting a year where he could have had a shot at adding a fifth title to his collection.
