Ray Allen is the top NBA free agent left and the veteran player is getting chased by a number of teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, LA Clippers, Spurs and Miami Heat as well as the Washington Wizards and while he is not ready to make a decision yet, Allen has said that he wants to play this season and he has been getting calls from LeBron James telling him to join the Cavs.
Allen said that he is in no rush to make a decision this year and he has plenty of options, as teams are chasing him to sign. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Cavaliers are the frontrunners, while the Spurs and the Clippers are looking to sign him as well. Allen said he plans on taking his time on this decision and while he has decided that he will play, he has not made it clear which team he is leaning towards.
The report from Pro Basketball Talk comes from CSN Washington and says that the Wizards have also contacted Ray Allen and could be interested in signing him. Allen is now 39 years old, but he stays in great shape and has shown over the past couple seasons that he can make an impact as a player from the outside off the bench. Last season he played in 20 minutes per game and averaged nearly 10 points per contest and he was a clear weapon from three as usual, knocking them down with ease for LeBron and the Heat as they lost to the Spurs in the finals.
Allen would be a valuable signing for any of the contenders chasing him, as he can still hit threes like nobody else and he could be a huge weapon off the bench. Allen would look good in the black fan silver of San Antonio and he seemingly would be a perfect fit for Pop and the defending champions with their veteran roster. It would also not be surprising to see Allen reunite with his old coach Doc Rivers in Los Angeles, but their roster is getting filled out and he might get more playing time in Cleveland.
The Cavs were one of the first teams to go hard at Allen along with the Miami Heat and now at least four teams are hoping for the chance to sign Allen. The Wizards would have Allen coming off the bench and he would be behind Glen Rise Jr, while some of the other teams could have more room for him to play. The Spurs seem like an ideal fit along with the Cavaliers and Clippers, while the Wizards look like a long shot, but can't knock them for trying. Allen is the top name left on the market and the only other real option for teams is Jordan Crawford and he has not had too much interest on the market yet.
ESPN.com reported earlier this summer that Allen was not going to retire from basketball yet, but that he did not pick a team to sign with and that he would be in no rush to do so. Allen wants to make another run to a title and that means Cleveland would probably be his best chance since they now have LeBron James and Kevin Love in the fold for star Kyrie Irving.