NBA Rumors: Ray Allen Weighs Return

There are NBA rumors afloat that Ray Allen reportedly has interest in returning to the NBA in search of another championship.

Jesus Shuttlesworth is reportedly contemplating rising again after a two-year hiatus.

While Ray Allen has not played in the NBA the last two seasons, he never officially announced that he has retired.

The absence of a retirement announcement has long led to speculation that he would make a return to The Association; now it appears that his return could be right around the corner.

Allen is obviously one of the greatest shooters in NBA history and despite his advanced age (he will turn 41 this summer), he reportedly has kept himself in great shape during his time off. As long as he can hit shots, he will likely have a place in the league.

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ESPN was the first to report Allen’s interest in an NBA return. Allen has reportedly reached out to both the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers about a possible return.

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Obviously his motivation is to add another NBA championship ring to his resume, given the fact that he is discussing a return with the two conference champions of last season.

His interest is not limited, however, to those teams, as he is open to joining both the San Antonio Spurs and reuniting with Doc Rivers and possibly Paul Pierce with the Los Angeles Clippers.

If Allen were to chose the Cleveland Cavaliers, it would present him with the opportunity to play once again with LeBron James, with whom he won a championship with in Miami.

On the other hand the Golden State Warriors provide him with an opportunity to play with the Monstars from Space Jam.

Neither team would rely on him heavily, but would provide him to come in off the bench in a sheltered scoring role and do what he’s done best throughout his career, make a boatload of threes.

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Allen’s return to the NBA is still far from set in stone. As indicated in that ESPN report, Allen is not sold on returning to the NBA. But with the league as top heavy as ever and the chance at a third championship a very real possibility, a return is clearly something that has peaked his interest.

Ray Allen has played a total of 18 seasons in the NBA, hitting an NBA record 2,973 three-pointers. A return would also give him the opportunity to become the first player to hit 3,000 long bombs.

In today’s three-point crazy NBA, his skill set still has value as long as he is still able to reliably knock down shots.

Allen has always maintained a strong dedication to his craft and his commitment to maintaining his conditioning has been well documented over the years. Even in his final season he managed to score 9.6 points per game and shoot 37.5 percent from behind the arc.

If he has managed to maintain his strength and conditioning during his time off, it makes a relatively successful return more feasible.

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Ultimately his decision is unlikely to swing the 2016-17 NBA season one way or the other, but he could provide valuable depth to a contending team as well as a strong locker-room presence, something that is priceless to any contender.