Stephen Curry’s Warriors hire new veteran coach alongside Steve Kerr in a surprising move

Frank Vogel is headed to the Bay Area. The Golden State Warriors have agreed to hire the veteran coach as associate head coach under Steve Kerr for the 2026-27 season, giving Kerr a proven championship voice on a bench that has undergone significant turnover this offseason.The move fills the gap left by Terry Stotts, who departed after his contract expired following last season. Vogel arrives with a résumé few assistants in the league can match, headlined by an NBA title with LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the Los Angeles Lakers' 2020 bubble run.

Golden State Warriors hire Frank Vogel to help Steve Kerr

ESPN's Shams Charania first reported the agreement Sunday, and the move was quickly corroborated by NBA insider Marc Stein. Charania noted that "Vogel has been a head coach for four different franchises," a track record that made him one of the most experienced available voices on the coaching market this summer.

Vogel spent last season as an assistant under Jason Kidd in Dallas, a stint that began as a consultant role before he moved onto the bench full time. His departure from the Mavericks followed Kidd's own exit from the organization earlier this offseason. Golden State now becomes his sixth NBA stop as a coach.The hire is the most significant addition to Kerr's staff so far this summer, though the Warriors could still make further coaching moves before training camp opens.

Who is Frank Vogel?

Vogel built his reputation as one of the league's sharpest defensive minds over parts of three decades in the NBA. He got his first head coaching job with the Indiana Pacers in 2011 and led that franchise to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2013 and 2014, both ending in losses to the Miami Heat.After two seasons in Orlando, Vogel took over the Lakers in 2019 and immediately delivered. Paired with James and Davis, he guided Los Angeles to the 2020 NBA championship inside the league's COVID-19 bubble, beating the Heat in six games for the franchise's 17th title.

He was let go two seasons later.Vogel's final head coaching stop came in Phoenix during the 2023-24 season, where the Suns went 49-33 before a first-round sweep at the hands of Minnesota ended his tenure. Across his career, Vogel carries a 480-422 regular-season record.

What Frank Vogel's arrival means for Steve Kerr and the Warriors

Kerr's own status was very much in question just months ago. Golden State finished 37-45 last season, missing the playoffs for the second time in three years, and there were real questions about whether Kerr would return.

He ultimately signed a two-year contract extension in May, keeping him on the bench as the winningest coach in franchise history at 604-353.Vogel's arrival gives Kerr a coach who has already won a title working alongside James, whom the Warriors continue to pursue this offseason as he weighs his next move in free agency. That connection alone makes the hire notable beyond simply reinforcing the staff. Golden State has also retained Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis on new deals and added Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th pick, signs of a franchise still trying to build one more contender around a 38-year-old Curry.