The NBA’s all-time leading three-point shooter isn’t going anywhere next season. According to A. Sherrod Blakely of CNNSE.com, Allen exercised the second-year option on his contract on Tuesday, which will pay him exactly $10 million next season.
Obviously, this is a win-win for all parties involved. Allen makes 10 million dollars, which is a lot of money, and doesn’t have to worry about how the upcoming CBA battle will impact his pay next season. He also gets to stay with the Celtics, who he’s won a ring with and clearly enjoys being a part of.
The Celtics should be thrilled to retain Allen as well. Allen may be 35, but players don’t loose their shooting strokes as they age, and Allen may have the best stroke in the history of the league.
Allen is still one of the league’s best shooters, having shot a career-high 44% on threes last season (as Blakely noted), has transformed himself into a complete scorer who can put in a bucket from any spot on the floor, is one of the game’s smartest offensive and defensive players, and no player puts more work into keeping his body working and his skills sharp than Allen. I can easily see Allen playing effective ball until he’s nearly 40, assuming he has the desire to do so.
The Celtics/Allen partnership has been successful ever since the Celtics traded the #5 overall pick (who turned into Jeff Green, ironically enough) to get him, and both parties should be glad that it will continue for at least another year. The only people who should be disappointed by this are those who were hoping to see He Got Game 2: Jesus’ Free Agency Decision in the near future. And hey, if the lockout goes on for long enough, that might happen anyways.