The race for the service of Ray Allen is heating up again with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards exhausting all options to net arguably the best shooter in the history of the NBA.
There is no stopping NBA contenders - even reports of Allen leaning towards retirement - in their pursuit of adding someone so old, yet they believed still deadly to become an important piece of their championship puzzle.
According to ESPN NBA insider Marc Stein, LeBron James traveled to Miami few weeks ago to rehabilitate his strained left knee and lower back. However, he also used his stay in South Beach to accomplish another agenda - making another recruitment pitch to Allen.
"During James' Miami jaunt, the four-time MVP met with free-agent guard and former Miami Heat teammate Ray Allen to try to appeal to the league's all-time leader in 3-pointers again about joining the Cavs this season, multiple sources told ESPN.com."
Aside from James' face-to-face meeting with Allen, former Allen's teammates during his time with the Heat - James Jones and Mike Miller - and former Boston Celtics assistant Tyronn Lue are also making concerted efforts to get him wear the gold and wine jersey.
"Apart from James' face-to-face meeting with Allen, several other members of the Cavs have kept in contact with the shooting guard this season -- James Jones and Mike Miller, who also were Allen's teammates in Miami, as well as associate head coach Tyronn Lue, who was an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics when Allen played there," according to ESPN.
Wizards Push for Ray Ray
The Cavaliers might have been labeled as the frontrunner in the Ray Allen's sweepstakes, but that doesn't mean they are slamdunk destination for the shooter.
The Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls also expressed desire in signing Allen for the remainder of the season, however Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders stated that the Washington Wizards have been the most aggressive suitor for NBA's all-time leading three-point bomber.
"The Wizards want to reunite Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. They feel Allen's game and veteran leadership would help them as they try to contend," according to Basketball Insiders.
Allen, who will turn 40 in July, averaged 9.6 points on 44 percent field goal shooting and 37 percent from the three-point line in his last season with the Heat. Over his career, the All-Star shooter shot 45 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
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