Report: Grizzlies throw hat in ring for Ray Allen, who may not decide until February

The Memphis Grizzlies are looking to patch over their only glaring weakness.

With a need for shooting, the Grizzlies are said to be the latest team to throw their hat into the ring to try to sign veteran free agent Ray Allen. Allen has heard from more than five teams, including Memphis, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.

That meshes well with earlier reports that a handful of contenders were still believed to be in the mix for Allen, though not all interested teams had necessarily been made public. The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs have also been reported as potential suitors. However, Allen has not yet made an official call on whether he'll come back for a 19th season.

That decision may not come for some time, as Allen has told teams to check back in with him in January with an eye toward a February debut, according to a report from Ryen Russillo of ESPN. That would afford Allen the opportunity to pick a landing spot that promises contendership with more certainty, while also keeping the toll on his 39-year-old body minimal.

The 16-6 Grizzlies have things rolling on both ends of the floor. However, while they rank fifth in the NBA in 3-point percentage, they're second-to-last in total 3-pointers made. An offense can get by without many triples, but it ups the degree of difficulty and can cause ancillary issues with spacing.

Adding Allen, a 40-percent marksmen from long range for his career, would give the Grizzlies a major boost off the bench in that regard. A season ago, Allen averaged 9.6 points in 26.5 minutes for the Heat, shooting 37.5 percent on threes and proving more than capable of still contributing.

Memphis is also one of the few teams in the league that still has an open roster spot with which to sign Allen without requiring a subsequent roster move.