Steve Kerr said adamantly that he wouldn't be coaching any other team next season after the Golden State Warriors' elimination last month, but there's still a rival organization trying to lure the 60-year-old away from the franchise and into a different role.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein on Sunday, ESPN have been aggressively pursuing Kerr in the hope of bringing him back into broadcasting after a dozen years as head coach of the Warriors.
ESPN trying to lure Steve Kerr away from the Warriors
Kerr met with the Warriors for a notable meeting at the start of the week, but there's been no resolution on his future as the four-time championship-winning coach remains without a contract after his team failed to reach the playoffs this season.
There's been no chatter of a rival NBA team trying to steal Kerr from Golden State, leaving ESPN seemingly as the biggest rival to the franchise bringing back their most successful ever coach.
"League sources tell The Stein Line that ESPN's top executives have been lobbying Kerr aggressively to try to convince him to return to the world of NBA broadcasting," Stein wrote.
Kerr has had multiple stints in broadcasting between his roles at NBA teams, having started in 2003 at TNT before returning in the 2010-2011 season after he vacated his role as general manager and president of basketball operations at the Phoenix Suns.
It wouldn't be the first time in recent years that a notable Warrior figure has left the franchise and gone straight into broadcasting, with former general manager Bob Myers departing in 2023 and joining ESPN shortly after.
Steve Kerr expected to return to the Warriors
There was a belief immedietly after the season that Kerr was done as head coach of Golden State, but the tide has began to turn dramatically on that sentiment over the past week.
According to Stein, the Warriors are now operating under the assumption that Kerr will be returning to the franchise, but still want to ensure they agree to a multi-year deal to avoid any 'Last Dance' like Kerr experienced as a player at the Chicago Bulls.
Stein also suggests that Kerr and Golden State's decision-makers -- notably Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy Jr. -- could meet again on Monday, indicating that a new deal could be formalized in the coming days.
Kerr has taken the Warriors to the Finals on six occasions and has won four championships, but the franchise has also now failed to make the playoffs in four of the past seven seasons.
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