Ray Allen's agent denies decision timeline, trimming of possible destinations
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It doesn't appear as if any NBA team will be able to plan out their trade deadline with Ray Allen in mind.
The biggest available name ahead of the league's annual post-deadline buyout market, it was reported Monday the 39-year-old Allen would be making a decision on his playing future within the next 10 days. That would have meant making a call by the Feb. 19 deadline, allowing one lucky team to make a splash without surrendering an asset. It also would have allowed a team with a full roster the chance to open up a spot for him.
Allen's agent, Jim Tanner, denied that report on Tuesday. Tanner said not only is there no guarantee of Allen making a decision within a 10-day window following All-Star Weekend, but Allen remains undecided on whether he'll even play this season.
Allen also hasn't narrowed down his list of potential destinations, said Tanner, a list that's believed to include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers and potentially more. A case can be made for any of those destinations, really, but even Clippers bench boss and Allen's former head coach Doc Rivers remains in the dark.
"I don't know if we are or not, to be honest," Rivers said when asked if the Clippers are in the running for Allen. "We'll see."
The Clippers have a pair of open roster spots and could use the wing depth, while the Cavaliers - who are red-hot and have LeBron James as a recruiting tool - have kept a roster spot open as well.
LeBron James says Ray Allen "would be a great addition." Says he isn't putting pressure on Ray's decision at all.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 10, 2015
While Allen's respite to start the season may give some pause, he's known to keep himself in phenomenal shape and was a productive contributor last season, his 18th in the league. In 73 games with the Heat, Allen averaged 9.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and two assists in 26.5 minutes, shooting 37.5 percent from long range.