For the second time in five years, Ray Allen is pondering his NBA future. He is a free agent at season’s end and the first of the Big Three whose future will come up for review by the Celtics organization.
Allen is in the final year of a five-year, $85 million deal he signed with Seattle, a career-defining contract consummated during his prime. Allen, 34, is past his prime but remains a productive player who takes immaculate care of his body and could play into his late 30s.
The Celtics will have to determine whether Allen should return and because they would own his Larry Bird rights - if he is not dealt by the Feb. 18 trade deadline - are not financially restricted by the salary cap.
It’s highly unlikely Allen would earn the $19 million he’s making in the final year of his current deal, but he does have market value. He would enter this summer’s free agent bonanza as a second-tier choice behind LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
He could be pursued by teams seeking a shooter and a durable player. The Celtics are Allen’s first choice but he realizes the feeling may not be mutual, especially since he will turn 35 during the free agency period in July.
“I would love to be here,’’ Allen said Saturday. “In my mind right now, for me there’s no other place to be. It’s a great tradition. This is really NBA basketball to me, being a part of a team and the tradition of winning, a great fan base. But the situations have to be addressed. There is a business connected to it. The team is going to do what they think is necessary. We’ll have to make a decision based on how they come to me business-wise.’’
It would be bad business for Allen to say he would accept less than the $19 million he earns, but he might have to, and perhaps half that amount. Steve Nash, an All-Star starter this season, took $22 million over two years to remain in Phoenix.
Allen has an affinity for Nash because they came from the same draft class, and their situations could be similar. Nash, 35, was an aging free agent who told the Globe in November he signed because he wanted no part of the so-called 2010 free agent bonanza. Somebody is going to lose, he said. There is going to be an aging player forced to accept a below-market deal because he slipped through the cracks of the spending spree.
Allen doesn’t want to be in that situation, which is why he said he’s ready to agree to an extension now if the Celtics are interested.
READER COMMENTS »
View reader comments » Comment on this story »