Wizards’ Realistic Chances Of Landing Ray Allen

One of the ongoing Washington Wizards rumors involves the potential destination of free-agent Ray Allen.

On Monday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that Allen intends to make a decision regarding his future in the NBA after this weekend’s All-Star festivities:

"Allen, 39, still has not decided whether he wants to return for a 19th season but has been keeping in shape and doing on-court work to keep his options open. Additionally, Allen has been in contact with teams to explore his possibilities and may take meetings during the upcoming All-Star break.Numerous teams have been staying in touch with Allen in hopes of signing him, including the Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers and, recently, the Atlanta Hawks."

Despite busting out of a recent slump with a combined 108 bench points in their last two victories, the Wizards would love to add Allen to their second unit. What contending team wouldn’t be interested in acquiring one of the greatest shooters in league history?

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CSN’s J. Michael insists that Washington has no intentions of filling its final roster spot until Allen makes up his mind. Last month Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweeted that the Wizards were pursuing Allen harder than any other club. The question is, does Washington have a realistic chance of winning the Ray Allen sweepstakes?

Let’s break down all the above options, saving the Wizards for last:

Retirement: If Allen was going to call it quits he’d just do it, not say he’ll maybe do it next week. Clearly he still wants to play.

Cleveland: Rejoin LeBron James. A solid shot to win the East. Although, it is Cleveland.

Golden State: The best team in the West. Chance at a title. Play in an up-tempo offense that’s built around hitting three-pointers. A lot to like.

San Antonio: Team up with a historic coach (Greg Popovich) with a great system. Obviously a contender. But would the sting of losing to the Spurs as a member of the Heat in last year’s Finals keep Allen from joining them? Doubtful, he bolted from the Boston Celtics to Miami just months after they fell to the Heat in the 2012 playoffs.

Miami: Familiar and comfortable surroundings. Warm climate. Terrible ballclub though.

L.A. Clippers: It’s Los Angeles. An opportunity play for Doc Rivers again. However, the recent Blake Griffin injury could drop them towards the bottom of the conference playoff standings.

Atlanta: Virtually has the East’s No. 1 seed locked up already and would clearly be the easiest path to the Finals. Much nicer weather than Cleveland.

Washington: Reunited with Paul Pierce, but Allen’s departure from Boston did not sit well with Pierce. The last we heard of this was in December when Pierce revealed that the entire starting five from the 2008 champion Celtics (as well as reserve Glen Davis) have an ongoing group text message now that they are all in different places–with the exception of Allen.

A case could be made that Allen might prefer the Wizards to the Western Conference squads because of the weaker competition he’d face in the East, but that would be true of Atlanta and Cleveland as well. It’s hard to argue that Washington is a better choice for him than any of the other teams on this list, let alone the best option.

Instead of everyone focusing on Ray Allen joining the Wizards, everyone should hope for Martell Webster helping the Wizards.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) February 10, 2015

It’s not what Washington fans want to hear, but I think Standig has it right.

Next: What can Martell Webster do for the Wiz?

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