OAKLAND, Calif. -- Interim Golden State Warriors head coach Luke Walton told reporters he expects Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, currently recovering from a spinal leak caused by back surgery, to join the team on its upcoming road trip to Southern California.

“I expect that Steve Kerr will be with us,” Walton told the media before Thursday's preseason game between the Warriors and Houston Rockets. “He has a house down there and whatnot. I don’t know how much he’ll be involved in what we’re doing as far as practice and games.”

The Warriors will play the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday in San Diego, the county in which Kerr lives. From there, the Warriors are set to play the Clippers in Los Angeles on Tuesday, then the Lakers in Anaheim on Oct. 22.

Kerr suffered a disc injury in his back during Game 5 of the NBA Finals, then underwent surgery July 28 to fix the ailment. During that procedure, the dura surrounding his spinal cord was nicked, causing spinal fluid to leak, which led to headaches and nausea. Kerr had another surgery Sept. 4 to repair the leak, and has suffered pain since. On Oct. 2, Kerr announced that he would be taking a leave of absence to recover.

Kerr has not been completely absent from team operations since that announcement, as he has attended multiple practices. Walton said Kerr relayed that Walton was “doing a great job,” before continuing, “I don’t know if he’s just trying to instill confidence in me or if he really believes that.”

Of Kerr’s impending return, Walton said, “I think it’s great. Obviously Steve’s one of those guys just having him around makes everything better, so he wouldn’t be coming down with us at all if he was still as bad as he was. So I think it shows signs of improvement. I don’t think it means he’ll be back within the next two days, but all we can ask for is that he keeps getting better.”