“I’m so happy to be returning,’’ he said in a text message to the Globe. “I’m looking forward to all the great times ahead.’’
Allen had maintained his desire to return to Boston, but didn’t agree to re-sign right away. He was wooed by several teams in need of a veteran shooter, and when Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh decided yesterday to sign with the Miami Heat, there was speculation that Allen would bolt for Florida to join them.
But he instead decided to remain in the Northeast, and team with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett for one or perhaps two more title runs. Perhaps a key factor was the return of coach Doc Rivers, who took two weeks off after the Finals before deciding to come back for a seventh season.
The Celtics will enter next season with four of their five starters from this past season, and the fifth, Kendrick Perkins, could return in February from knee surgery.
Allen, who joined the Celtics on draft night in 2007, averaged 16.3 points and shot 36 percent from the 3-point line last season. He set a record for 3-pointers in a Finals game with eight in the Game 2 win over the Lakers in Los Angeles. In the final five games of the series, however, Allen was 4 for 28 from 3-point range, as he, like many of his teammates, appeared to tire during the latter stages of the series.
Still, Allen is considered one of the league’s finest shooters and needs just 117 regular-season 3-pointers to become the NBA’s all-time leader. He canned 145 last season and has 2,444 for his career.
“We’ve had continuous conversation,’’ team president Danny Ainge said of Allen before the contract was agreed upon. The Celtics talked with Allen every day during the free agency period, but he made it clear he wanted to hear from other clubs. It was the third time Allen has been a free agent, and on each occasion he re-signed with the team.
