Report: Steve Kerr finalizing contract to become head coach of New York Knicks

Steve Kerr is reportedly nearing a deal with the Knicks. (James Devaney/Getty Images) From the moment that Phil Jackson accepted the reins of the New York

Brad Rowland | May 12, 2014

Report: Steve Kerr finalizing contract to become head coach of New York Knicks /

Steve Kerr is reportedly nearing a deal with the Knicks. (James Devaney/Getty Images)

From the moment that Phil Jackson accepted the reins of the New York Knicks, the rumor mill began to churn surrounding the hiring of Steve Kerr. On Sunday night, a report surfaced that the two sides could finally be nearing a deal to make Kerr the team's next head coach.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News brings the details:

Steve Kerr is inching closer to finalizing a deal to become the next head coach of the Knicks, according to a source close to the TNT broadcaster.

Kerr’s agent, former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, is still negotiating with the Knicks but the two sides are optimistic that a deal would be in place early this week. The plan is to have Kerr accompany Knicks president Phil Jackson to Chicago for the NBA draft combine that begins Thursday.

As for the reasoning behind Kerr's rumored decision to head to New York over the opportunity to coach a more established roster with the Warriors, Isola had this to say:

And even though Kerr, who lives in San Diego, has expressed a desire to remain close to home, the allure of working with Jackson, a Hall of Fame coach, is why Kerr would rather coach the Knicks.

Kerr's decision was expected to come by Monday, but to this point, no official announcement has been made. In the event that the former Bulls and Spurs guard agrees to head to New York, the Warriors will be left with an interesting pool of choices that could include former Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy.

The process of hiring a head coach has continually been pushed back for the Knicks in recent weeks and months. According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the final holdup appears to be contract negotiations, which the two parties have been discussing for days.

Knicks have been slow to overpay Steve Kerr in deal length or salary, sources say. Tried treating him closer to 1st-time coach than a star.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 12, 2014