Ray Allen Draws Interest From Spurs, Clippers
Ray Allen is drawing interest from two other contenders out West—the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers. Earlier in the 2014 offseason, the veteran shooting guard has stated that he’s considering joining LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers and even mulling over retirement from the league.
“The Spurs and 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,” Marc Stein of ESPN.COM reported on Sunday.
Both the Spurs and Clippers are appealing destinations for Allen. San Antonio is the defending NBA champion with the core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard still intact in Texas. Los Angeles meanwhile has maintained their status as one of the best in the Western Conference with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin as the cornerstones of the Hollywood franchise.
Both squads are also expected to open a vital role for Allen if he chooses either team. The Spurs can use another shooter with a rotation of an aging Manu Ginobili and role player Danny Green at the SG-spot. Meanwhile, the Clippers have Jamal Crawford and J.J. Reddick as shooting guards in their line-up. The L.A. squad recently traded away wingman Jared Dudley to the Milwaukee Bucks to open up some salary cap space for minor signings.
Ray Allen is already entering his 19th season in the NBA with stints with the Milwaukee Bucks (1996-2003), Seattle Super Sonics (2002-2007), Boston Celtics (2007-2012) and the Miami Heat (2012-2014). He won championships with the Celtics as part of the Boston “Big Three” trio of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce; and with the Heat as a complement to the Miami “Big Three” of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
If Allen joins the Spurs, he’d be joining a rival team which he has met in the last two NBA Finals while if Allen joins the Clippers, he’d be re-uniting with Doc Rivers, his former head coach in Boston.