If you can’t trust the team owner to break news, who can you trust?
Miami Heat owner Micky Arison tweeted this Friday night:
Ray Allen has chosen the Miami Heat over the Boston Celtics for next season. He sacrificed a larger paycheck and familiarity to go after a ring in South Beach.
Allen has called the Celtics to inform them of his decision, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (and the NBC Sports Network). Allen’s agent has confirmed the decision to the Associated Press. It’s as official as it can be until Allen signs a contract on July 11.
This is a huge free agent get for the Heat — they have spent two seasons trying to find a consistent three-point threat to go around LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Shane Battier struggled last season (but was better in the playoffs). Mike Miller has been banged up for two seasons, but you saw what happened in Game 5 of the NBA finals when the Heat had him knocking down open looks — they were an unstoppable offensive force. The penetration and threat of LeBron and Wade give guys at the arc time to set their feet — plus pretty much pitch a tent, light a bonfire and make some smores — before they have to shoot.
Allen, the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made and shot 45 percent from beyond the arc last season, should thrive in that setting. Which was why he was the Heat’s top free agent priority. LeBron and Wade were tweeting him, and Pat Riley was working his magic. Riley’s sales job was impressive and really helped sway Allen, Wojnarowski reports. He sold him the same way he sold Wade and Bosh (and the way the Celtics sold free agents to come during the big three era) — shared sacrifice to chase a bigger goal.
Miami could only offer half has much money as Boston — $3 million to take his talents to South Beach vs. $6 million to stay in green — but this wasn’t really about money. Allen has made a lot of money, $178 million over the course of his career. It was about the chance to win a ring. It was also about how he fit in — Boston wants to expand Avery Bradley’s role and just agreed to terms with Jason Terry as a free agent (who is an upgrade over Allen at this point in their respective careers). Allen’s role there was shifting.
You can bet this adds some fire to the rivalry on the court and in the stands between the Heat and Celtics. Allen has left his home for the last five seasons and where he won a ring in 2008 for a hated rival. Some Boston fans will turn on Allen now. Be ready for plenty of “Judas Shuttlesworth” jokes. But he was a free agent who played out his contract and had the right to make his call. How much of a role his reportedly strained relationship with Rajon Rondo, or how much he was frustrated about the Celtics shopping him around at the trade deadline, played into his thinking are good questions we may never know the answer to. But there seemed to be something after all the trade rumors around Allen — he asked for three years, $27 million to stay in Boston, reports the Herald. Boston would go no higher than two years, $12 million.
With the Heat he plays a key role with a great shot at another ring, and that seemed to matter.