After the debacle that was the NBA Finals of 2013-14 where the Miami Heat was dismantled by the San Antonio Spurs in their return bout with a 4-1 drubbing, Ray Allen became a free agent but decided not to resign with the Florida basketball franchise.
While LeBron James was hot on Allen’s tail trying to convince the all-time NBA leader in three pointers made to join him in the Cleveland Cavaliers, the streak-shooting 10-time All-Star decided to hold out on his decision.
In addition to the Cavaliers, other NBA teams that expressed interest in getting the services of Ray Allen this season included the Golden State Warriors, the San Antonio Spurs, the Washington Wizards, and the Los Angeles Clippers. But they all failed to convince the 39-year-old future NBA Hall of Famer to their teams.
Having Ray Allen on an NBA team is a plus factor despite his age. Aside from his NBA all-time high 40 percent field goal percentage in the three point area, the premier off guard is also the author of the most number of clutch shots in the Finals history, notes the Washington Post.
New phase in his life
After his 18th year in the NBA last season, Allen decided to mull things while weighing his career option.
As an accomplished NBA player, having won two championship rings with the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, Ray Allen said that he is satisfied with the outcome of his basketball career and that he was ready to move on to the next phase in his life.
So while there were plenty of offers coming his way up until the NBA trading deadline on February 19, the veteran three-point shooter decided to continue pondering over his future.
After almost nine months of weighing things, Ray Allen finally comes out on March 4 to announce that he might play again in the NBA, no longer in the current season but in the next.
Making a decision for next season
In an official statement read by his agent Jim Tanner, Ray Allen said that he has taken a lot of time in the past several months to deliberate and think of what is best for him. He said that he has ultimately decided not to play in the current NBA season.
Tanner confirmed that Allen has indeed received enormous interests from a number of NBA teams throughout the current season. He said that they will communicate with interested teams if and when Ray makes a decision to play again for the 2015-16 NBA season.
Ray Allen was a member of the Big Three in the Boston Celtics along with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce that won the NBA title in 2008.
He got his second championship with the Miami Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals. He made that historic right corner three-pointer with 5.2 seconds remaining in Game 6 to force for the Heat a rubber match with the Spurs. The Heat would eventually win Game 7, giving Allen’s important part in the history of the Miami basketball franchise.