Ray Allen signs with Heat after reported 'rift' with Celtics' Rajon Rondo, Ainge

Part of the reason Ray Allen chose to join LeBron James with the Miami Heat was because of a reported "rift" with Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. (Mike

Part of the reason Ray Allen chose to join LeBron James with the Miami Heat was because of a reported "rift" with Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Part of the reason that free-agent guard Ray Allen opted for less money to sign with the Miami Heat on Friday was because of a reported "rift" with some members in the Boston Celtics organization, including point guard Rajon Rondo and vice president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported early Saturday morning of several issues that drove Allen away from the Celtics. Allen became annoyed at the Celtics putting his name in trade talks and how he did not get his starting job back after returning from an ankle injury late in the season.

But most significantly, his relationship with Rondo crumbled over the past year.

For all the past indignities – real or imagined – Rondo was the issue that hadn’t gone away, that would still be there come training camp. They don’t like each other, and it had become a bigger and bigger drag on Allen, sources said. Each had culpability for why things had gone awry, and yet each was better on the court because he had played with the other. [...]

"When it comes to basketball, Rondo is the smartest player on the team – one of the smartest players in the league," one locker-room source said. "And Ray considers himself a smart guy. But at some point, it became hard for Ray to be corrected by a guy so much younger than him."

Speaking to The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn on Saturday, Ainge would not offer comment on the reported friction between Allen and Rondo. Ainge said the Celtics are moving on to other targets.

"Obviously we need to fill the void, we need another shooting guard, of course," he said. "There are a lot of good players left.