Hot seat watch: 4 NBA coaches who could be fired this season

1. Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors

The Warriors are having a disappointing start to their season, sure, But by no means would you expect them to fire Steve Kerr during the season, and much less if they're still going to compete with this core. By presenting Kerr as a candidate to be fired, I am doing so in a scenario where the Warriors don't win a championship now and blow it up this offseason.

While that's probably an unlikely scenario, it is somewhat plausible: Klay Thompson could leave in free agency, and if he doesn't the team could decide to shed payroll elsewhere. Chris Paul and/or Andrew Wiggins could be moved, which would limit this core's chances to compete, especially with the restrictions the new CBA has that were put in place for a team like this. If Thompson leaves, I don't see a path for serious contention for this team next season, which would in turn lead to some serious thinking on the team's direction moving forward. That, in turn, could lead to Kerr, whether it's by his choice or because of the front office, "mutually agreeing to part ways" with Golden State.

We can argue for days about the Warriors' struggles this season, and the reason for them. Whether it's Thompson's slow start, Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga's inconsistency on both ends or the lack of consistent play at times from Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, the blame can be shared. It's on the players to step up, the front office on their experiment a couple of years ago to try and compete and rebuild at the same time, and on Kerr to manage the pieces better.

Having said that, there is still some equity Kerr has built with this team in being able to win championships with different types of teams, whether it was in 2015 in his first season in an unproven squad, then with managing the super team when Kevin Durant joined, and in 2022 with most of the players that are still on this team. If they finish the season in the playoffs, lose and are able to keep Klay, I don't see a way for Kerr to be fired if management still wants to compete as presently constructed. As many questions as he may raise with his rotations, the Warriors will have a tough task in finding someone as good as him if they want to keep competing for a ring.