Ray Allen remains one of the top NBA free agents on the market and now the Golden State Warriors have thrown their hat in the ring to sign the star, as teams like the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, LA Clippers and Miami Heat have also been interested in adding Allen, who is expected to sign with a team around the All-Star break.
Allen has been on the market since the summer and while reports had him retiring before this season, Allen came out to refute those claims. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Warriors have now shown interest in Allen and this comes after the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards all were connected to him earlier in the offseason. The Cavaliers were considered the favorites because of the LeBron James connection, but the Warriors could be a sleeper option with how well they have played.
Danny Ainge of the Celtics speculated that Allen would sign around the All-Star break and so far that news has held up. Pro Basketball Talk writes that CSN Bay Area reported the news about Allen, with Warriors GM Bob Myers saying that they have "reached out" to Allen and his reps. Myers added that the team may not have enough minutes to give Allen, so that could be an issue, but he may want to sign up for a chance to win another title.
The Spurs, Cavaliers and Warriors would be the best options if Allen wants to win a title and going to Cleveland would mean joining back with his Miami teammate LeBron James. The Cavs have added a number of vets this year, with Mike Miller and James Jones coming to Cleveland along with Shawn Marion. Allen would fit in well there and he also could be an option for the Spurs, but that interest has cooled compared to the other teams.
The Warriors have been one of the best teams in the league this season and they have won 14 games in a row after winning over the Houston Rockets. Steve Kerr has received a lot of credit, but many feel that Mark Jackson also deserves some praise after building things up last season. Either way, the Warriors are division leaders and one of the favorites in the west. Adding a player like Allen would be bit for the team, as they could use some more outside shooting.
The offense is clearly fine with or without Allen, but he has playoffs and finals experience and he would bring all of that to the team. Allen would be a bench player, but he is a strong option at the end of games, as he showed over the past two years that he hits threes as good as anyone left in the NBA. The Warriors are ranked in the top five in scoring this season and they are sixth in points allowed. The team is also third in rebounding and second in assists per game and they clearly made a good choice in keeping Klay Thompson with Stephen Curry in the backcourt.
