Is This Ray Allen's Last Hurrah With The Boston Celtics?

June 28, 2007 was the day that the NBA world was turned upside down.

It was draft night and the Boston Celtics, who had just finished off a lowly 24-58 season that included a team record 18-game losing streak were stuck with the fifth pick and were about to miss out on both Greg Oden and Kevin Durant.

So they traded the pick, along with Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak to Seattle for Ray Allen.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

This was the start of a new era in the legendary history of Boston basketball.  The move showed Kevin Garnett that the Celtics were serious about winning.  He agreed to be traded to Boston to join Allen and Celtics mainstay Paul Pierce as all three superstars were looking to win their first NBA championship.

After 128 regular season wins and one Larry O'Brien Trophy, the Celtics head into the 2009-2010 season as one of the favorites to take the cake.

But could the man who started the Celtics' transformation be looking at his last season as part of it?

Allen is going into the final year of his contract, and as much as I love the guy's game, I would tell Celtics fans to savor this season as it'll probably be his last wearing Celtics green.

There's no argument that Allen's one of the greatest shooters that this game has ever seen.  He's shot just under 45 percent from the field, almost 40 percent from behind the arc and almost 90 percent from the stripe over his illustrious 14-year career.  Plus, his defensive game has improved under the tutelage of Garnett and the Celtics coaching staff.

But he's 34.  And not a young 34, either.  Allen's had numerous injuries over his career and had surgery on both of his ankles in his last season in Seattle.  Even though he's always been in tremendous physical condition and has been relatively injury free during his time in Boston, the risk of injury never lowers when you're in your mid-30's.

Allen's also shown some inconsistent play, even a disappearing act or two during his post-season appearances with the Celtics that could've killed them.  We saw this during the team's second round loss to the Orlando Magic.  In Games Two, Four, Five and Seven, Allen scored a total of 70 points.

In Games One, Three and Six, he scored a total of 22 points.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying that Allen is the reason why the Celtics couldn't get by Orlando.  In fact, they might not have gotten by Chicago in the first round without him.  But the inconsistency he showed in the post-season could be because of age and it's something that Boston will need to consider when looking at whether to bring him back or not.

And there's also a pretty talented free agent class that will be on the market in 2010, in case you haven't heard yet.  The Celtics might be looking to use the money they'll have with Allen coming off the books to spend on younger superstars like LeBron or D-Wade and stay relevant in the ever-changing Eastern Conference.  Allen's probably going to be looking for at least $10 million a season in his next contract, and if Boston is choosing between Allen and LeBron, it's not hard to guess who they'll be giving money to.

The fans of Boston love what Ray Allen's done to help restore the legacy of the Celtics and bring excitement to a city that had been waiting for competitive basketball since the '80's.  But the NBA is more of a business now than it ever was.  Wherever Allen is after this season, he will continue to be an offensive threat and make that club better instantly.  Unfortunately for the Celtics fans that adore the way he plays the game, it probably won't be in Boston.