Ray Allen was very comfortable and happy in Miami — he was playing on a contender in a warm-weather city with lots of great golf where his family was comfortable, and he was making more than the league minimum.
Then this summer happened.
Now Allen’s option involve making the league minimum and contending in cold-winter Cleveland, or maybe joining old coach Doc Rivers in warm-weather Los Angeles on a team already loaded at the two-guard spot (J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford, plus you can play Reggie Bullock there or the three) in a deep Western Conference that will be hard to escape just to get to the Finals. Dallas has tried to get in the mix but are they really contenders?
Now throw San Antonio in the mix, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.
One more Spurs rumble with Team USA v Finland now seven hours away: Reigning champs, I'm told, trying to barge into Ray Allen Sweepstakes
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 30, 2014
On the court Allen could certainly fit in with the Spurs, and it’s not a cold city. But the offer will likely be for the minimum. And again, the West is loaded. Certainly the Spurs have set the bar in that conference but there are teams close to clearing it.
Nothing seems a good fit and retirement remains on the table, something reinforced by Stein and Alex Kennedy at BasketballInsiders.
https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/statuses/505487876256436225
Ray Allen himself, mind you, has been saying for weeks that he's still deciding whether or not to play next season, let alone choose where
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 30, 2014
Allen has to decide if he wants to put his body through the NBA regular season grind again to chase another ring. He’s not doing it for the money. Does he want to be away from his family that much? Has he reached the point in his life where that trade off is not worth it? What does he want to do post NBA?
Allen doesn’t have to make his decision yet, he’s got until training camps open and beyond. He can let things play out and join a team mid-season should he want. There is no pressure on him, save what old teammates and coaches try to apply.
This could play out for a while longer.