NBA Rumors: Ray Allen Favors Cleveland Cavaliers?
Ray Allen has quite a few options in free agency, but his best three choices are: 1) Join LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, 2) Return to the Miami Heat or 3) Retire as the greatest three-point shooter of all time.
According to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, option No. 1 seems to be appealing to Jesus Shuttlesworth the most.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, since LeBron has been recruiting Allen to join the Prodigal Son on his return back to Cleveland. When the best basketball player in the world comes knocking and says he wants you on his team, it’s kind of hard to ignore him.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Wednesday that Allen’s return to the league isn’t completely guaranteed, however, and that MRIs on his legs would likely determine whether or not he’s willing to suit up for his 19th NBA season:
Ray Allen told Sina in China he planned to return Thurs. & get MRIs on his legs before making future decision. Numerous teams interested.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 23, 2014
Mike Miller has also been trying to recruit Ray Allen to join the Cavs and should the MRIs come back with good news, it might as well be a done deal that Allen’s going to Cleveland. LeBron James has already recruited former Miami Heat teammates Miller and James Jones to give the Cavs a little perimeter shooting off the bench.
Last season in Miami, Allen averaged 9.6 points per game on 44.2 percent shooting from the field and 37.5 percent shooting from downtown. His prime is long gone, but his ability to come in off the bench and knock down a couple of threes every night is still there. Plus, he’s still pretty spry for a 39-year-old, as Marco Belinelli and Danny Green could tell you:
Allen has multiple free agency suitors, so it would speak volumes about the LeBron James Effect if he decided to take significantly less money to move to Cleveland and pursue another championship. The Cavs’ biggest competition is probably retirement at this point, so if Allen does return for his 19th NBA season, smart money’s on him being in a Cavaliers jersey.