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Celtics GM Ainge on Ray Allen: 'He may wait until All-Star break'

Bob Donnan / USA Today Sports

With training camps well under way and the regular season mercifully less than three weeks from now, Ray Allen remains without a team. That's not for lack of interest around the league, but Allen is yet to make a decision on whether he'll even come back for a 19th season.

His former Boston Celtics general manager thinks that could be a decision-making process that extends past the turn of the calendar.

As Danny Ainge told 98.5 The Sports Hub, courtesy of CSNNE:

He may wait until All-Star break or January. And just see what teams are playing well, which teams are the healthiest and which team that he thinks that he might fit in, just in the style of play. With new coaches at some different places, he may just want to see how it unfolds before he makes a decision.

Waiting until later in the season to sign is a minor risk for Allen, but one that makes sense. The ability to choose a destination with more certainty of title contention may be worth forgoing a salary in the interim. The risk that all contenders have full rosters is minimal, too, considering what Allen brings to the table compared to a team's 15th man.

Now 39, Allen showed he can still contribute in 2013-14, averaging 9.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and two assists in 26.5 minutes for the Miami Heat. Most importantly, he hit 37.5 percent of his threes, which, while low for him, is something that contenders will drool over.

The Cleveland Cavaliers still seem the most likely destination for Allen, given his connection to LeBron James, but the Washington Wizards are said to have interest, too, and a contender hit with an injury could emerge as a suitor later in the year.

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