Steve Kerr downplays Warriors owner’s email exchange hinting at coaching errors: ‘No big deal’

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob’s brief interaction with a fan via email has gone viral following the 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.

As a result, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was asked about Lacob’s email exchange with fan Justin Dutari, which Kerr did not see as a major issue.

“It’s not a big deal,” Kerr told reporters of the email exchange, via ESPN. “I’m not worried about any of that.”

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Dutari sent the email to Lacob criticizing the Warriors’ play, saying the team needs a “real second option,” adding that veteran All-Star Jimmy Butler’s “tools are being underutilized.”

“I am very frustrated,” concluded Dutari’s email, via ESPN.

It’s not uncommon for fans to express their frustrations with teams to the owner, but that usually doesn’t warrant a response. This time he did, and Dutari posted the interaction on Reddit. And the Warriors later confirmed that it was Lacob who responded.

“You can’t be as frustrated as I am. I’m working on it. It’s complicated,” Lacob responded in the email. “Style of play. Coaches [sic] wishes regarding the players. League trends. Jimmy is not the problem.”

Based on Lacob’s response, they were probably going to ask Kerr about it considering the “coaches’ wishes regarding players” part.

But Kerr is clearly sweeping this under the rug and continuing to focus on the team.

The Warriors are 13-14 entering Tuesday, putting them eighth in the Western Conference. Kerr is also in the final year of his contract and announced before the season that he was not seeking a contract extension. He wanted to see how the season went before talking about his future with the team.

Kerr’s work with the Warriors has led to four NBA titles since the 2014-15 season, although the team has not advanced beyond the Western Conference semifinals since winning it all in 2022.

Kerr has been steadfast in directing his team’s offensive game through Steph Curry and Draymond Green, given the chemistry they have between them. However, some argue that there should be changes considering the younger players on the roster.

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“We’re all frustrated,” Kerr added. “Joe is frustrated. I’m frustrated. Steph and [Green]everyone is frustrated. That’s how the league works. I hate when people go post private emails. “Imagine if everyone’s emails were published publicly, how difficult it would be to live our lives.”

Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy continue to support Kerr despite this season’s results, while Curry has expressed his desire for Kerr to remain on staff beyond this season.

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