Ray Allen weighing NBA return

Former All-Star shooting guard Ray Allen is still weighing a return to the NBA

Former All-Star shooting guard Ray Allen is still weighing a return to the NBA, he told the Hartford Courant on Saturday.

Allen, 41, has not played since the 2014 season as a member of the Miami Heat. He has been working out and never officially retired from the game, frequently becoming a subject of rumors as a potential addition to a contender. His prolific three-point shooting ability and penchant for taking care of his body have kept a comeback within the realm of possibility.

Allen told the Courant he has spoken with two of his former teams, the Celtics and Bucks. He has been tied to the Cavaliers and Warriors in the past, and the Courant mentions the Spurs and Clippers as possible destinations. He also said that Spike Lee, the director of He Got Game in which Allen starred as a young man, has been trying to recruit him to play for the Knicks. He still lives in Miami most of the year.

Allen said that if nothing arises by the start of the season, “basically I’ll retire.”

“My decision is predicated on what is available,” Allen said. "I said that I was interested because I never retired for a reason. I've been watching, seeing what teams have been doing and I've been waiting to see if the opportunity presented itself where I think I could fit.

“I would love going back to those places if it worked out," Allen noted, "because both teams are good, too. It doesn't necessarily have to be championship-or-bust for me to go back to the NBA. I want to be in a situation where I thought I could help, play a little bit and help where they have good young talent.”

The Celtics added Al Horford in the off-season after falling to Horford’s Hawks in the first round of the playoffs last season. The Bucks missed the playoffs in 2016, but have gifted young players and budding stars in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Khris Middleton on the roster. 

Allen is a two-time NBA champion and 10-time All-Star, most notably for hitting a corner three-pointer that swung the 2013 Finals and saved the Heat against the Spurs.

- Jeremy Woo