Ray Allen Rumors: Signing with NY Would Make Knicks True NBA Title Contenders

The New York Knicks don't have a ton of money to spend during the offseason, but they do have enough to offer a small contract to a veteran shooting guard. 

According to the New York Daily News' Mitch Lawrence: 

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Jason Terry, O.J. Mayo and Ray Allen top the Knicks’ free-agent wish list for shooting guards. Allen wants a big offer, of course, but he’ll also favor the team that shows him the most love when it comes knocking on his door on July 1. Looks like the Knicks, who don’t have a lot of money to offer Allen, will have to out wine-and-dine the Bulls and Heat 

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Even after the arbitrator's decision to grant Jeremy Lin "Bird rights," the Knicks can't offer more than $3 million, making a $7-million pay cut from last season a necessity if he's going to go to The Big Apple. 

As Lawrence said, some wining and dining is going to be necessary if Allen is going to join the Knicks. The Miami Heat have to remain the favorites here, thanks primarily to the mutual interest that the Heat and Allen have shown each other, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Just for the sake of the thought experiment, let's assume that the city that never sleeps holds enough appeal to lure Allen into an orange and blue uniform.

His addition would make this New York squad into true contenders for the 2013 crown. I can't call them favorites while a certain trio remains busy in South Beach, but they would be a scary team.

Imagine a starting lineup of Lin, Allen, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler. How exactly do you stop that?

Melo and STAT are both fantastic isolation scorers, and Allen provides a ridiculously good kick-out threat. The Knicks were a solid team with Landry Fields holding down the fort at shooting guard, which makes an upgrade to Allen downright terrifying.

Allen may not have looked like a good option during the playoffs, but he was also dealing with painful bone spurs in his ankles. Now that he's had them surgically removed—the bone spurs, not his ankles—he should be free to bounce back and perform at a normal level.

During this past regular season, Allen made 45.3 percent of his shots from downtown. With 5.1 attempts per game, it's not like he was just firing in small quantities. The purity of his jumper is still omnipresent in every fiber of Allen's being. 

If Allen is going to bring that talent with him to the Knicks, it's going to take a concerted effort on the part of the Knicks' brass to convince him that a title awaits. Miami has already done its part simply by winning the last one. 

However, if Allen does sign with the team, New York will officially complete the transformation from league laughingstock (thanks to Isiah Thomas) to true contender in the Eastern Conference.