Kerr Leaving Bulls For Spurs?
Three-point specialist and free agent Steve Kerr, a key member of three straight Chicago Bulls championship teams, is near a deal with the San Antonio Spurs, his agent says.
"We haven't agreed to anything," Mark Bartlestein said Sunday. "Nothing is done as of yet. We're close, but there are some things we're trying to finalize."
"The Spurs are a team we're interested in. We're working hard and something could happen."
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Several teams have shown interest in Kerr, a 10-year veteran who is one of the most proficient 3-point shooters in NBA history.
"I wouldn't say the other teams were out of the loop," Bartlestein said. "We're just seeing if we can finalize a deal with the Spurs."
Kerr's departure is just another sign that the Bulls are preparing to break up after Michael Jordan's retirement last week. Free agents Scottie Pippen, Luc Longley and Dennis Rodman also are expected to leave as the dominant team of the decade dismantles following the NBA lockout.
The 33-year-old Kerr would be a nice fit for the Spurs, who boast the strong inside attack of All-Star center David Robinson and Tim Duncan, the 1998 NBA Rookie of the Year. Despite the absence of a consistent perimeter shooter, San Antonio won 56 games last season.
Without an outside threat, opponents collapsed on Robinson and Duncan, forcing the Spurs to attack from outside. They were eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals in five games by the Utah Jazz, who dared San Antonio's Avery Johnson, Vinny Del Negro and Chuck Person to beat them from outside.
Limited by injuries to 50 games, Kerr averaged 7.5 points last season, his 10th in the NBA and fifth with Chicago. He had a crucial sequence at the end of Game Two of the Finals, when he ran down a miss of his 3-pointer and passed to Jordan for a three-point play. He added two free throws to help seal a 93-88 win to even the series, and Chicago went on to win in six games.
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| Is Steve Kerr ready to run away from the Chicago Bulls? (AP) |
Kerr's career 3-point percentage of .473 is best among those with at least 250 made. He won the Long Distance Shootout at All-Star Weekend in 1997 and his 1994-95 clip of 52.4 percent is an NBA record.
Kerr's greatest moment came in Game Six of the 1997 Finals, also against the Jazz. With the score tied, 86-86, he took a pass from Jordan and sank the go-ahead jumper with five seconds left. The Bulls added a basket at the buzzer and won their fifth NBA title.
Daniels, who was acquired in a draft-day trade with Vancouver. Del Negro and Jaren Jackson are free agents, as is Person, who has great range but has been slowed by back woes.
Earlier this month, Kerr had his uniform number retired by the University of Arizona. A 1988 second-round pick of the Phoenix Suns, he also has played for Cleveland and Orlando and has a career average of 7.6 points in 639 games.
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