Kerr Chooses Golden State Over New York, Accepts 5-Year $25M Offer to Coach Warriors

Kerr Chooses Golden State Over New York, Accepts 5-Year $25M Offer to Coach Warriors

The New York Knicks’ loss is the Golden State Warriors’ gain. Steve Kerr has made his decision according to ESPN.com and that he chose to be the head coach of his hometown team, Golden State over New York, which was considered the front-runner for Kerr’s services in recent weeks.

Kerr is set to accept a five-year, $25 million offer from the Warriors as head coach of the team featuring Stephen Curry, David Lee, Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut among others.

The Warriors were serious in their chase for Kerr meeting with the former NBA player before the broadcast of the Los Angeles Clippers-Oklahoma City Thunder Game 5 last Tuesday hoping to lure him away from the Knicks, which were strong favourites to land him because of the Phil Jackson connection.

Apparently, connection was indeed important—to his roots. Kerr was born in Southern California and lives in San Diego in recent years.

Golden State appeared to be on the losing end of the chase for in-demand coaches in this offseason. On Tuesday, Stan Van Gundy, one of GSW’s targets after firing Mark Jackson, signed as coach/president of the Detroit Pistons. Before the Warriors brass traveled to OKC to talk with Kerr, reports out of New York said that contract offer was just being finalized between the Knicks and their prospective coach.

Despite zero coaching experience at any level, Kerr has been one of the most-sought after personalities to become the head coach. He was named the Phoenix Suns’ president of basketball operations in 2007 and is a part-owner of that franchise—a stake he has to sell after receiving the offer from the Warriors.

Also according to ESPN, Kerr already told Jackson about his decision to coach the Warriors over the Knicks and stated “family reasons” for the decision.

What Kerr probably didn’t share to his former coach was that he liked the Warriors’ crew better. After all his new team just made the playoffs this year as opposed to the mess of a New York roster—Carmelo Anthony’s pending free agency and the toxic contracts with the likes of Amare Stoudemire and questionable characters like J.R. Smith.