The Chicago Bulls have thrown their hat in the ring on free agent guard Ray Allen and with Jordan Crawford also still on the market, those players could be potential options for the team now that the trade with Taj Gibson, Joakim Noah, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic is off for Derrick Rose and company, as they are ready to make a run after the Cavs won out for Kevin Love.
According to ESPN.com, the Bulls are now one of the teams chasing Ray Allen and they join a big list that includes the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, LA Clippers, Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs. Allen has not made it clear where he is leaning and he said that he plans on playing this season and is not retiring. The Cavaliers have come out the strongest and Allen has said that he wants to play for a championship and that means only certain teams have a realistic shot to get him.
LeBron James has been trying to recruit Allen and he is another veteran player that could give the team a very strong bench. The Cavs have already signed James Jones and Mike Miller to join up and they have Kevin Love in the fold after making the trade with the Timberwolves. Allen would provide a long range shooting option and he has shown that he can still hit the three as good as anyone ever. Allen played with James and loved that for his time in Miami and now he could do it again.
The Wizards came into the running late and they could be an option, but Allen wants to win a championship and no offense to Washington, but they are not doing that. The Wizards had a great season and likely will make the playoffs again, but they are not a championship contender in the east. The team also signed Paul Pierce and after he talked a lot of stuff about Ray Allen after leaving Boston, he may not want to do that either.
The Bulls are a solid option and they have signed Pau Gasol and Aaron Brooks and the team also traded for Dog McDermott and signed Nikola Mirotic. Many think that the return of Derrick Rose healthy makes the Bulls the top option to challenge the Cavaliers and adding Ray Allen could help that. It also would take away another target for their division rivals. Last season Allen was strong from three and averaged nearly 10 points per game and while he won't play too many minutes, he is as valuable as they come when down two or three in crunch time.
There are many connections for Allen with all of these teams. Doc Rivers was his former coach in Boston and could bring him to LA; Allen played with LeBron for a couple years in Miami and won a championship; and he also worked with coach Tom Thibodeau of the Bulls while he was with the Celtics and they won a championship together as well. The Spurs are a logical option and Allen could fit in there, while the Cavs and Miami Heat are also looking to sign him.
