The NY Knicks are working on getting Steve Kerr in as their next head coach and Phil Jackson is looking at all the options he has in front of him and heading into the offseason, he could look at some trade deals involving Tyson Chandler, Amar'e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton as ways to ensure they keep Carmelo Anthony and can build around him over the next year and in the future.
The Knicks reportedly hoped to lock up Kerr heading into the second round of the playoffs so that it wouldn't disrupt the TV broadcast and also so they could get a jump on anyone else looking to sign him. Rumors have the Warriors looking at Kerr and some other names over keeping Mark Jackson after there has been some friction on the staff this season and now Kerr could be a front runner there. According to ESPN.com, the Knicks decision with Kerr is getting closer and the NY Post writes that the deal could come after the game on TNT on Monday, as Kerr is broadcasting the Clippers and Thunder with Marv Albert for the network.
Pro Basketball Talk reports that Kerr has some interest in the Warriors job, as he is now from California and may want to remain on the west coast and the Warriors job could enable him to do that. If the Knicks are going to sign Kerr, it likely will happen this week and his friend and fellow broadcaster Reggie Miller tweeted that Kerr should think about his options and now jump right into the first situation that comes up.
Reports already had Kerr and Jackson meeting last week in NY and now Jackson has also met with Anthony and part of that presumably is also about the next head coach for the team. Anthony is going to opt out of his deal this summer and while he has said that he would be willing to take less money to stay, there is still plenty that is up in the air and could change between now and then. Kerr is set to call both games in the Clippers and Thunder series and many have said that he could be a good fit with Jackson in NY after the two won championships in Chicago.
Jackson won over 50 games with the Warriors and he could be on his way out and that means Kerr could at least think about a position with Golden State. Kerr has never coached before, but he was general manager of the Suns and it could follow in the footsteps of someone like Jason Kidd, who never coached before taking the Nets job. Kerr lives on the west coast and that is the biggest issue in the talks and with the Lakers job open and the Warriors job possibly opening soon, it could tempt Kerr to stay. Jackson will use all the weapons in his arsenal to try and keep Anthony and that could mean trading names like Felton, Stoudemire or Chandler to help sign other players by clearing camp space.