Steve Kerr and Warriors management held preliminary contract extension talks last summer, but Kerr tabled final discussions until next summer to make sure he felt healthy enough to make a long-term commitment, Kerr told The Athletic on Sunday evening.

Kerr and general manager Bob Myers held the initial talks — and Kerr, Myers and Warriors owner Joe Lacob all told The Athletic on Sunday that they fully expect that Kerr will sign an extension next summer.

“We just agreed we’d wait,” Kerr said. “I’ve got two years left on my deal and wanted to make sure that everything went well this year health-wise. And I don’t anticipate any issues going forward.

“I don’t have any desire to be anywhere else. So I’m sure when we get down to it, we’ll come to an agreement pretty quickly.”

Kerr signed a five-year, $25 million deal in May 2014, has led the Warriors to two championships in three seasons (in 2014-15 and 2016-17), and, despite a slightly wobbly 4-3 start, including a loss at Oracle Arena to Detroit on Sunday, they are heavy favorites to repeat this season.

The two sides have batted around parameters of a deal, and Kerr joked that he already tipped his hand badly in these talks.

“Yeah, I’m a horrible negotiator,” Kerr said. “But I’m not going anywhere else. I have no desire to coach anywhere else. I love living here, I love the Warriors, I love working with Bob and Joe. Love the players. I’m not going anywhere.”

Lacob, for his part, said there is no doubt in his mind about Kerr’s extended position with this franchise.

“I would expect him to be our coach for a long time,” Lacob said. “We did try, but I think he basically just wanted to wait and see how his health was, that was the primary thing.

“We had a couple years to go (on his contract, which runs through the 2018-19 season), so we understood that. He understood that. I suspect we’ll probably not deal with it during the season and next summer we’ll talk again.

“I would like to have him for a very long term. He’s fantastic. We love him.”

Myers said the team fully understands that Kerr wants to feel healthy — and he is making steps in that direction after suffering from the aftermath of a spinal fluid leak during back surgery in the summer of 2015 — before committing himself to anything long-term.

Kerr missed 11 playoff games last postseason after suffering from worsening symptoms, but returned for Game 2 of the NBA Finals and was emotional in the aftermath of the Warriors’ Game 5 clincher.

“I think it’s a shared feeling,” Myers said of a Kerr extension. “I think (the delay) was more in regards to him just wanting to feel healthy before he kind of took that step. …

“I think he’s doing better. I can’t gauge where he is on a scale of 1 to 10, but I think it’s better than it’s been. But it’s a question you probably have to ask him. Seems to be doing OK. Maybe the management is better. But as far as I view him, he seems OK.”

Kerr told The Athletic‘s Marcus Thompson late last summer that he had approached last offseason differently than the summer of 2015, when he had just suffered the health problems and was trying various different remedies.

Last summer, Kerr said, he concentrated on enjoying as much of his life as he could and focusing on a few specific treatments. Kerr doesn’t discuss the specifics of his treatments, but on Sunday he said he’s progressing. He just wants to make sure before he signs a new deal.

“I would feel weird about committing to something years out if I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make the commitment,” Kerr said Sunday. “But I think it’s all heading in a good direction and I’ll get there.”

Kerr said that once he feels ready for the final contract discussions, he knows he doesn’t have to worry about being treated fairly by the Warriors.

“I know how they operate,” Kerr said of Lacob and Myers. “They’re going to make me a great offer. If I decide I’m ready to do this, it will be a very short negotiation, I can tell you that.”

—Reported from Oakland

(Top photo: Andrew Bernstein/NBA/Getty Images)