Ray Allen Rumors: Latest Buzz and Speculation Surrounding Free-Agent Guard

Updates from Friday, Feb. 27

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported Ray Allen has ruled out making his return to the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Updates from Friday, Feb. 20

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported the latest on Allen's chances of playing in the NBA this season:

Among numerous NBA executives with an interest in signing free-agent guard Ray Allen, there's a growing belief that Allen will not play in the league this season.

Allen still hasn't delivered word through his agent Jim Tanner that he wants to play – never mind begin the process of choosing a team.

Allen has been working out, but nothing to the level that would indicate an imminent return to get into NBA playing shape. Still, there's time for Allen to make a decision, but as one general manager said Friday, "It's getting late in the game for this to happen."

Updates from Thursday, Feb. 12

Howard Beck and Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report weighed in on whether Ray Allen is the missing piece for a title contender:

Updates from Wednesday, Feb. 11

Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders spoke to Stephen Nelson about Allen's future, saying the Hawks are very interested in landing his services:

Updates from Monday, Feb. 9

The Warriors continue to show interest in Allen, as Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News reported they will leave their open roster spot until the veteran makes his decision to either sign somewhere or retire.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported Allen is set to make a decision on his NBA future after All-Star Weekend and provided more details on the process:

Allen, 39, has still not decided if he wants to return for a 19th season but has been keeping in shape and doing on-court work to keep his options open. Additionally, Allen has been in contact with teams to explore his possibilities and may take meetings during the upcoming All-Star break.

Numerous teams have been staying in touch with Allen in hopes of signing him, including the Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and, recently, the Atlanta Hawks.

Allen's potential role with a team is expected to be a deciding factor. He shot 39 percent and averaged 9.3 points while playing 26 minutes a game in 20 playoff games last season for the Heat after shooting 40 percent from three-point range during the regular season.

On Feb. 8, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reported on Allen's decision-making process in regard to an NBA return:

Updates from Friday, Feb. 6

Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders joined Team Stream Now to discuss clubs interested in bringing Allen aboard:

Updates from Wednesday, Jan. 21

ESPN's Dave McMenamin reports LeBron James joined in the pursuit of Allen:

While the principle reason LeBron James visited Miami during his recent two-week rest period was to seek out warmer weather while he rehabbed strains to his left knee and lower back, he also had another item on his agenda.

During James' Miami jaunt, the four-time MVP met with free agent guard and former Miami Heat teammate Ray Allen in order to try and appeal to the league's all-time leader in 3-pointers again about joining the Cavs this season, multiple sources told ESPN.com.

Updates from Saturday, Dec. 27

Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle has the latest on the Warriors' interest in Allen:

ESPN Cleveland provides comments from ESPN's Brian Windhorst, who reports Allen's career may be finished:

Updates from Saturday, Dec. 13

Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reveals the Clippers are interested in Allen:

Updates from Thursday, Dec. 11

CSN Bay Area reports the Warriors have displayed interest in Allen:

A report surfaced earlier this week claiming that the Warriors were interested in free agent shooting guard Ray Allen.

Has Golden State reached out to the 10-time All-Star?

Warriors GM Bob Myers told 95.7 FM The Game on Thursday afternoon that the club has in fact reached out to Allen's representatives but said, "it's uncertain as to what Ray wants to do."

"Here's the problem," Myers explained. "We don't have enough minutes as it is so it's just a question of chemistry."

Updates from Monday, Nov. 24

ESPN's Chris Broussard reported several teams are still interested in Ray Allen's services this season:

Updates from Saturday, Nov. 1

Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears has the latest on the Cavaliers' pursuit of Allen:

Updates from Friday, Oct. 10

CSN's A. Sherrod Blakely has the latest on Allen:

"Ray can really help them, but I anticipate that Ray will wait and see the landscape of the NBA," Ainge, the Boston Celtics' president of basketball operations, said during his weekly call-in to 98.5 the Sports Hub. "I just think he might wait and see how everybody's clicking. There's a handful of teams that would love to have Ray on their team right now that are trying to win a championship.

"He may wait until All-Star break or January," Ainge said. "And just see what teams are playing well, which teams are the healthiest and which team that he thinks that he might fit in, just in the style of play. With new coaches at some different places, he may just want to see how it unfolds before he makes a decision."

Updates from Tuesday, Oct. 7

Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops has the latest on Ray Allen:

Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 1 

Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times provides an update on the Clippers' interest in Ray Allen:

Updates from Monday, Sept. 22

Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report reported on Ray Allen's thought-process on playing next season:

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 2

Another team has emerged in the chase for Ray Allen according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com:

The Wizards would prefer to keep their 15th and final roster open but they'd quickly change gears for Ray Allen. The team contacted the 39-year-old shooting guard early in the free agent process to gauge his interest in signing, CSNwashington.com has confirmed with two people with knowledge of the situation Tuesday. 

Updates from Saturday, Aug. 30

ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports additional suitors for Ray Allen's services:

Updates from Sunday, Aug. 17

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reports the Cavs' current belief on signing Ray Allen:

Updates from Saturday, Aug. 9

Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski provides an update on Ray Allen's future:

Chris Broussard of ESPN had more on Allen:

Updates from Thursday, Aug. 7

ESPN's Chris Broussard reports what it could take for Ray Allen to continue playing this season:

It was previously reported by Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski that the Cavaliers and Timberwolves have agreed to a trade in principle involving Kevin Love.

Updates from Wednesday, Aug. 6

Sam Amico of Fox Sports has the latest on Allen, courtesy of Cavalier James Jones:

Updates from Sunday, Aug. 3

Dom Amore of The Courant provides a statement from Ray Allen discussing his future at the Citi Ray Allen Basketball ProCamp yesterday:

I'm not in any rush [to make a decision]. I've played 18 years, and the way I look at my career, I'm content with everything that I've done. I just want to take this summer and see how it goes.

To continue playing, really, the only argument is I can because I'm in great shape. But just because you can doesn't mean you have to. Many people over these last couple of weeks have lobbied for me to continue to play. … My argument for not playing is, I have done a significant amount in my career and I appreciate everything that has come my way and as I've gotten older, I'm 39, there are so many things in life I want to be able to do to affect change — like being around kids full time, which I enjoy.

So at this point I just feel so good about where I am.

I don't want to go into a situation where I don't understand the coaching, don't understand the direction of the team. My family is very important in making the decision. Right now, there is nothing that I need to do. If I ultimately decide this will be it for me, I'm content with that.

Updates from Wednesday, July 23

Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe has the latest on Ray Allen:

ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst provides a report on Allen and his current plans:

Updates from Friday, July 18

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports has an update on Ray Allen's unclear future:

Updates from Wednesday, July 16

Shandel Richardson of the Sun-Sentinel reports Ray Allen has been in contact with two teams amid speculation he is considering retirement:

"Veteran guard Ray Allen has reportedly spoken with the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers," Richardson wrote. "The Miami Heat, however, remain in the dark about his playing future."

Updates from Monday, July 14

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reports that Ray Allen is weighing his options for the future:

Updates from Saturday, July 12

Sam Amico of Fox Sports provides the latest on Ray Allen's future:

Original Text

Ray Allen was noncommittal about his future after the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals. Now, it sounds like the veteran sharpshooter is interested in continuing his career and potentially his partnership with LeBron James.    

Chris Broussard of ESPN reports the Cleveland Cavaliers have set their sights on Allen:

On the surface, it sure seems like an attempt to provide further reason for James to make his triumphant return to Cleveland after winning a pair of championships with the Heat. Speculation has been rampant in recent days concerning his choice.

Adding Allen would create an intriguing supporting cast that also features Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins. It would be even more impressive if Anthony Bennett can rebound from a forgettable rookie season and play like a No. 1 overall pick.

The Cavaliers also just agreed to a three-team trade with the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics to open up the necessary cap space. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports provided details on Cleveland's returns, which are highlighted by the money now available:

Whether Allen would be interested in the Cavs if James doesn't head north is unclear.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reported last month that Allen was leaning toward a return and wanted to keep playing with James, wherever he landed in free agency. He also passed along comments from the 10-time All-Star about the decision following the Finals:

One thing is for certain, to [make a retirement decision] on my terms is the most important thing. Whether that is me retiring, staying here or going somewhere else, it will be on my terms. I've made it to this point, and I felt great that I have the choice to make it for myself.

Despite the rumored connection with LeBron and Cleveland, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders states retirement has not been taken off the table:

The 38-year-old Allen is no longer the go-to scorer he was during his time with the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics and in the early stages of his stay with the Boston Celtics. However, he's shown over the past two seasons that he can still be a valuable rotation piece.

As Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo Sports noted this past June, Allen's still got it:

Ray has had his struggles in the postseason and in these Finals, especially defensively, but the idea of Allen walking away even at age 39 seems like a bit much to handle right now. His three-point percentage dipped a bit this year, but 30 out of 30 NBA teams (well, maybe not Brooklyn) would like a chance at adding the free agent to their rotation this summer.

Of course, the moment that highlighted his key role was hitting the game-tying three in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals to save Miami, which went on to win the title. This past season, he averaged a shade under 10 points per game while shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.

It sounds like Allen is keeping all avenues open while deciding if he still has the drive to play 82 games and then a potential postseason run. If he wants to play, there will certainly be interest, especially if he's connected to James.

Staying close to LeBron would also ensure he remains in the championship chase until he's ready to call it quits for good.