Likelihood of Ray Allen returning to Boston “diminished” after trade deadline incident, according to report
Ray Allen may or may not have been told he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. Regardless of the semantics, he knew the Celtics were close to trading him and would have dealt him if they found a package they liked. He, like the other members of the Big Three, was used as bait at the deadline as Danny Ainge looked to solidify the Celtics’ future, even if it came at a slight expense (or maybe more) to their present.
The Celtics’ willingness to ship Allen anywhere could return to harm them this summer when Allen hits the free agent market. According to the Boston Globe, the deadly shooter’s interest in returning to Boston after the season has declined.
It seems while the Celtics have undergone a resurgence – primarily because trades for Allen and Pierce never materialized – there has been a breakdown in communication and perhaps regard between management and those veteran players.
The wedge may be too late to close. Allen wants to finish this season with a championship, but the likelihood of his return next season has diminished.
Perhaps those are the prickly issues that arise when eras conclude, but this one should have been massaged and managed better to make the road to the next Celtics’ phase smoother.
In my mind, Allen was always the least likely of the Big Three to return. Paul Pierce has been a lifelong Celtic and his contract pays him$32 million over two more seasons. Kevin Garnett has more loyalty than 12 men and seems to genuinely enjoy everything about the Celtics organization. Allen, however, has always been the odd man out. He never received the love we show Pierce because he didn’t grown into a man in Boston. He never received the love we showered on Garnett because he wasn’t an MVP candidate when he arrived here. We all adore Ray Allen and his silky jump shot and the many times he’s risen to the occasion and drilled a huge shot, but he was always the third wheel in the Big Three. He just was.
He’s also someone who can help any contender as long as he can move laterally a little bit, because his jumper will always remain an asset. He’ll have plenty of opportunities this summer, and I wouldn’t expect him to give the Celtics any home-town discount. If he wants to chase another championship, elsewhere’s probably a great idea. I’ll wish him well wherever he goes, and for now, I’ll still hold onto a little hope that Allen will return to Boston and bless us once more with his precious shot-making.
Allen told the Boston Herald he’s not yet ready to retire, but he’s not sure whether he’ll remain a Celtic next season:
“It’s hard to say,” Allen said of whether he remains a Celtic. “The landscape always changes over the summer. Just from what I see around the NBA, there’s a lot of teams that look forward to having me. I just want to be somewhere where I’m valued, cherished and I can go out and play.
“By no means do I feel tired, or one foot in and one foot out. I attack it that way knowing that every day I can play, I can play 40 minutes, and I want to give that to whatever team I play for. The instant I feel I can’t do that is when I retire. And I’ll know it when it happens. But I don’t now.”
Related posts:
- Ainge: Boston Celtics worked on trade offers until three minutes before trade deadline
- Ray Allen still desired by several teams at NBA trade deadline
- Doc Rivers expects Boston Celtics to be quiet at trade deadline
- NBA trade deadline goes, Boston Celtics Core Four still intact
- Paul Pierce was almost traded to the New Jersey Nets at the trade deadline, says Bill Simmons
Celtics Blog | Jay King | April 20, 2012
Where’s he going to go? I think that if the Cs have a strong playoff run and even win it all or not that RA will explore his options, but playing in a system he likes and with players that can have several more title runs (with an even strong roster) will ultimately see RA back as the 6th Man which suits him best at this stage of his career. Sure he could start elsewhere, but would he get title runs? Would he join the Heat, Bulls, Lakers, OKC, Knicks? Or will he realize he is in the best situation for success and extending his career with multiple title runs? I think he stays and the trade bs is not an issue. The team has turned the corner and it is very apparent they will not be rebuilding (as talked to death) but reloading. Go Cs…
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Didn’t get the love that Pierce and Garnett got? I think he’s gotten just as much. For the record, Ray Allen is my favorite player of all time. His jump shot is a thing of beauty…
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Ray was great but he can’t handle the ball, get open, play defense. Like I said 3 for 17 against the Lakers game 7
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It’s just incredible the way this site sucks up to Ainge, and I don’t just mean Sir. James, and what’s even more insane is that this is probably the only major Cs blog that is even SLIGHTLY critical of Mad Danny.
As you very well know, James, throwing the Core Four (and no, I don’t believe Danny that he didn’t continue to shop Rondo, at all) out as trade bait was EXACTLY the wrong thing to do to solidify our future. We HAD four players who loved this team and would have done almost anything to stay on here, or so it appeared, both from their behavior and their words. What Mad Danny has done by pitching a third of the team to the winds on the verge of the playoffs last year, including a central guy in Perk, and then by continuing to shop the Core Four, is pretty much wreck all that. Our cohesion is the key to our hopes, last year and this, and the notion that the Celtics organization was loyal to its players was the key to the Celtics Way.
Mad Danny has wrecked all that, and that does more damage to our future than ANYTHING else he could do. HE POISONED THE ROOT OF THE TREE. How can you possibly not see this?
If you treat players like pieces of meat, don’t expect love from them.
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paul…most if not all star players get traded. KG and RA have already been traded and they were late in their prime. Montana and Manning got traded, even Willie Mays. The goal is to keep the team at the top of it’s drive to win titles. While I am not happy the news of this got out, the fact that it happened doesn’t surprise me though. DA will always try to make the team better and if it takes trading one of the Core 4 then so be it. He’s not going to give them away. But that was all before this team gelled. I would be extremely surprised and disappointed if any further trade talks involve RR or PP; or KG and RA once they resign. Go Cs…EM is going to be a star too folks!!!
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Ray needed to go at the trade deadline. Who could forgive him for game 7 against the Lakers 3 for 17. He can’t handle the ball anymore and most times can’t get to his spot anymore.
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RWJ137,
You seem to have an issue with something that happened 2 years ago. Since then Ray has made many big shots and somewhat saved the team from losses. They actually happened in the year 2012, you should join us in it.
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