Steve Kerr denied giving Phil Jackson a verbal commitment to become head coach of the New York Knicks before backing out when the Golden State Warriors' job became available.

"We were very close, but we never agreed to a contract,” Kerr told the Daily News Saturday night before working Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals for TNT. "We didn't have a handshake agreement or anything like that. But I did think I was going to go there. And I think Phil and I both thought it was going to happen.”

Kerr and Jackson had many phone conversations about the Knicks and he admitted that he may have strongly intimated that he would accept the job.

“I’m not upset he expressed it that way,” Kerr said. “I’m OK with that. But in the end, Phil knew I wasn't quite comfortable and he didn't hold me to any of our conversations. That's what is great about dealing with Phil. There was no pressure on me to take the job. He reiterated to me, ‘You need to feel good about this. You need to make sure of it.' That's why he didn't make a fuss about it, when I wanted to speak with Golden State.”

Steve Kerr gave Phil Jackson a verbal commitment to become the next head coach of the New York Knicks before the Golden State Warriors' job became available.

Kerr waited several weeks while discussing the opportunity with Jackson to coach the Knicks while he also broadcasted games for TNT.

When Mark Jackson was fired by the Warriors and Stan Van Gundy joined the Detroit Pistons, Kerr was pursued heavily by the Warriors.

James Nunnally will leave his Puerto Rican team for pre-free agency workouts for the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz, sources tell RealGM.

Nunnally was with the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks this season on multiple 10-day contracts.

The Golden State Warriors believe they have a legitimate shot at trading for Kevin Love.

Love is believed to prefer a trade to either the Warriors or Chicago Bulls.

"You know we'll be aggressive," one Warriors source said. "We usually get our guy."

The Warriors could package David Lee, Harrison Barnes and their 2015 first round pick (traded after June 26) in a deal for Love. Golden State doesn't want to include Klay Thompson, who become eligible for a contract extension this offseason.

The Bulls, Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns can presumably offer better deals for Love.

Alvin Gentry is expected to interview for the head coaching vacancy of the Utah Jazz, according to sources.

The Jazz have already interviewed Adrian Griffin for the opening but have taken a deliberate approach to the search.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have also discussed interviewing Gentry, who is receiving interest to become the associate head coach under Steve Kerr with the Golden State Warriors and a possible assistant on the staff of Michael Malone with the Sacramento Kings.

Gentry is still under contract with the Clippers and is credited for running their offense, which averaged 108.8 points last season.

The Orlando Magic could be a potential trade partner for the Golden State Warriors should they deal David Lee.

The Magic ended up with the No. 4 pick in the lottery, out of expected range for Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid.

Lee has a difficult contract to move, but he would give the Magic a veteran presence at a position of need.

Arron Afflalo would be a target of interest for the Warriors should they move Klay Thompson in another deal.

The report also mentions a possible trade of Klay Thompson and Lee to the New York Knicks for Carmelo Anthony.

The Golden State Warriors are a team of interest to Kevin Love, which will likely trigger a run of trade proposals.

The Warriors would surely need to build their offer around David Lee from a financial perspective.

But the Warriors don't have picks in coming seasons to trade due to the Andre Iguodala deal and will need to offer the Wolves values in the form of Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green.

The Warriors don't want to trade Thompson in any deal for Love, according to a source.

History is repeating itself in the form of the Minnesota Timberwolves trading away a perennial All-Star power forward named Kevin.

In 2007, the Wolves traded away Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics. The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls were the teams to be closely rumored to discussing a trade with the Wolves.

In 2014, the Wolves appear likely to trade away Kevin Love. The parties likely to be involved are a virtual repeat of those 2007 trade discussions. The Celtics, Warriors, Lakers, Suns and Bulls have all been mentioned as interested parties. The Houston Rockets have also been added to the mix in these discussions.

The New York Knicks were also interested in Garnett back in 2007, but like their interest in Love this time around, they don't appear to have enough trade assets to become a realistic partner.

The Golden State Warriors have named Steve Kerr the team’s new head coach.

Kerr will be introduced in a press conference on Tuesday.

“We’re very pleased to introduce Steve Kerr as our new head coach,” Bob Myers said in a statement. “We are confident that he will be an extremely good fit for our team and our organization as we venture into the future. The fact that he played for several of the greatest coaches in the history of the game – including Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich – will serve him well, as will the many nuances that he learned from performing on the brightest stage during his incredibly successful, championship-filled career.”

“I’m really excited about the unique opportunity to coach a very talented team and work for this committed management group,” Kerr said in a statement. “In my estimation, the Warriors, from top to bottom, have become one of the marquee organizations in the NBA in recent years. I’m looking forward to becoming part of that environment and building upon the success of the last two seasons.”

Kerr, 48, joins Golden State after spending the last four seasons as a color commentator with TNT, his second stint with the network. Prior to rejoining TNT in 2010, Kerr spent three seasons as the President of Basketball Operations and General Manager for the Phoenix Suns from 2007-10.

Kevin Love has not demanded a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he has made it clear that he intends to become a free agent in 2015 and has no interest in signing an extension this summer.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported Love's position earlier this weekend.

Sources tell ESPN that the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls are among potential trade destinations that intrigue Love.

The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks have also been mentioned as teams that would tempt Love, but he appears to prefer immediate contention.

The Phoenix Suns have enough assets to presumably trade for Love, but his interest in joining the Suns is unclear.

Any team willing to unload valuable assets to the Wolves to trade for Love would seek assurances that they can keep him long-term.

The Wolves have rebuffed all trade interest in Love for months at the behest of Glen Taylor.

Sources say Love has stressed to the Timberwolves that he's desperate to get to a winning situation and that the constant losing has worn on him.

Sources say the Warriors in particular have emerged as a top contender for Love. The Warriors don't have a stash of draft assets to offer, but could build a trade around David Lee and Harrison Barnes.