Ray Allen Won't Find Better Fit Than the Chicago Bulls
The list of teams registering interest in legendary free agent Ray Allen isn't getting any shorter. To the contrary, contenders in both conferences have been linked to the 39-year-old throughout the summer, and the most recent suitor may be the most logical of all.
ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell reports, "The Chicago Bulls have touched base with the representatives of veteran shooting guard Ray Allen, a league source confirmed Monday."
Previously, Bulls.com's Sam Smith noted, "The Bulls are believed to be among almost a dozen teams to have contacted Allen and his representatives. In fact, it would be a surprise if just about every team other than the non-competitive 76ers have not contacted Allen."
While the two-time champion has several strong options in the offing, it's hard to argue any of them makes more sense than Chicago.
Even better, this is hardly a pipe dream for the Bulls. They have a ready-made recruiter with previous ties to Allen.
"Another key selling point for the Bulls is Allen's relationship with coach Tom Thibodeau," Friedell adds. "Allen won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008 while Thibodeau was an assistant on Doc Rivers' staff."
The working assumption has been that Allen would follow former Miami Heat teammate LeBron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but not so fast.
"There’s so much speculation about me going to Cleveland," Allen told the Boston Herald's Mark Murphy in August. "I haven’t even decided where I will play. Obviously LeBron and I are great friends, and James Jones and I are really close. But at no point have those two tried to push me in that direction. I haven’t had that conversation."
Indeed, Allen hasn't even decided if he's going to play another season.
"I'm not in any rush [to make a decision]," Allen explained in August, per the Hartford Courant's Dom Amore. "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."
Assuming Allen returns for another season, Bulls general manager Gar Forman's task becomes convincing him that Chicago is his best opportunity to meaningfully contribute to a title. That sales pitch isn't entirely self-evident, especially with the much-improved Cavaliers lurking.
And for the record, others are reportedly in hot pursuit.
According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, "Sources told ESPN.com this week that the [San Antonio] Spurs and [Los Angeles] Clippers have emerged as two more rivals for the Cavaliers to worry about as Cleveland continues to try to lure Allen away from the Miami Heat."
"The Dallas Mavericks, sources say, are yet another top Western Conference team to register interest in Allen this summer and there are believed to be more teams chasing him that have yet to be identified," adds Stein.
CSNWashington.com's J. Michael subsequently indicated that the Washington Wizards were also in the mix.
Connections to Allen abound among his would-be teams. The Clippers are coached by Rivers, who led Allen to his first championship with the Celtics in 2008. This summer, the Wizards signed Paul Pierce, who teamed with Allen in each of his five seasons with Boston. The Spurs faced Allen in each of the last two NBA Finals.
But the Bulls can offer more than a reunion with the well-respected Thibodeau.
They can simultaneously guarantee both legitimate title chances and robust playing time in the pursuit thereof. Few teams have greater need for a shooting guard who can, well, shoot.
Allen would have to split time with J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford in Los Angeles. He'd vie for minutes with Danny Green and Manu Ginobili in San Antonio. The Cavaliers and Wizards boast emerging young shooting guards like Dion Waiters and Bradley Beal, respectively.
The Bulls are prepared to again start swingman Jimmy Butler at the 2 spot, but that in no way precludes an important role for Allen. For one thing, Butler's big enough to spend some time at small forward. For another, Chicago is in no position to pass on one of the league's most iconic perimeter shooters.
Butler made just 28.3 percent of his 3.6 three-point attempts per game last season, marring an otherwise standout season in which the 24-year-old averaged an impressive 38.7 minutes per contest.
Regardless of the shape Chicago's opening-day roster takes, Butler figures to remain an integral component of Thibodeau's rotation. He's the team's best perimeter defender and could very well improve his long-range stroke with some additional polish.
That said, the Bulls still have an imminent need for someone who can space the floor and open some lanes for Derrick Rose and his penchant for slashing to the rim.
Allen averaged 9.6 points in just 26.5 minutes per contest last season, his second with Miami. While the 10-time All-Star has adjusted to a more limited role, he still made 37.5 percent of his three-point attempts in 2013-14 and proved he remains one of the league's premier perimeter specialists.
That wouldn't translate into 35 minutes per game with the Bulls, but it would assure Allen a prominent niche on par with the one he occupied in Miami.
By now, the 18-year veteran's interests almost certainly have more to do with legacy than fortune. According to Hoopshype.com, his career NBA earnings have already totaled $184,356,410—and that's not accounting for endorsements or other income.
To be sure, Allen's legacy doesn't need much help. He already ranks 21st on the league's all-time scoring list and leads the league in made three-pointers by a long shot (with 2,973). A third championship might hammer the point home, but it's not as though Allen's winning credentials are in any jeopardy.
To the contrary, it's his history of success, leadership and pedigree that makes him such a desirable commodity in the current marketplace.
The shooting ability certainly doesn't hurt—especially in its most clutch manifestations—but the intangibles go a long way toward separating Allen from legions of competent marksmen.
And those intangibles would also go a long way toward keeping the Chicago Bulls in a title conversation they're eager to join.
It may be hard to envision Allen joining the club best suited to challenge LeBron's Cavaliers, but it's even harder to deny the Bulls are a tailor-made fit—one that could justify delaying that retirement decision for one more year.
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