The sweet-shooting Ray Allen has not officially joined LeBron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not just yet.
Contrary to earlier rumors and speculations that the 39-year-old Allen has reached an agreement with the Cavs, there remains no official confirmation from league sources, reports Fox Sports.
Fox Sports said that Cavs general manager David Griffin has confirmed that he has spoken with representatives of the 6' 5" shooting guard. The executive expressed his desire to sign up the 18-year NBA veteran to join the team, while LeBron James has openly recruited Allen the moment the latter became a free agent.
Fansided columnist Glenn Moore reported that Allen and the Cavs have signed a deal already. He even tweeted: "Earlier reports of Ray Allen signing with the Cavs are true. Done deal."
In a report by Complex, it was noted that "Ray Allen to the Cavs" rumors have been going around for quite some time now. And that, it would not be surprising nor shocking to see him signing with Cleveland today, tomorrow, or soon, the report added.
Also helping the King recruit Allen to the Cleveland roster is Cavs guard James Jones. Jones is also a close friend of Allen, having spent two full seasons with him in Miami. Jones has reportedly paid a visit to Allen in Connecticut earlier this summer, according to Fox Sports.
"He knows we'd love to have him here (in Cleveland)," Jones was quoted as saying.
What's next for Allen
After the NBA 2013-14 season, and he became an unrestricted free agent, Allen has issued a statement that he has not decided whether to continue playing or simply retire.
He said in August that he hopes to come up with a decision about his future by September. It's already October and he has not yet made any official statement.
In an interview with Hartford Courant on August 2, Allen said: "To continue playing, really, the only argument is I can because I'm in great shape. But just because you can doesn't mean you have to."
"Many people over these last couple of weeks have lobbied for me to continue to play. My argument for not playing is, I have done a significant amount in my career and I appreciate everything that has come my way. As I've gotten older, there are so many things in life I want to do to affect change, like being around kids full time, which I enjoy," Allen explained with heartfelt emotion.
Allen has played for the Milwaukee Bucks, the Seattle SuperSonics, the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat in that order. He holds the NBA records for three-pointers made in both the regular season (2,793) and post-season (385) hitting 40% across the board, details the Hartford Courant.
Fox Sports also disclosed that the Cavs have told Allen's representatives that they would understand if the basketball veteran would wait until later in the training camp to sign with the team, given his age and experience.
In addition to the Cavaliers, the San Antonio Spurs, the Chicago Bulls, and the Miami Heat have expressed intention to get the services or Allen for the next NBA season.