Ray Allen has not officially retired and it looks like he doesn’t have any plans of making it official.
Allen last played for the Miami Heat in the 2013-14 season, where the Heat bowed to eventual champion San Antonio (Spurs). He ended up becoming a free agent after that run and the word back then was that the rifleman could possibly retire despite being pursued by multiple teams to play for at least one more year.
The NBA star was never close to signing with any team though many had waited even until the NBA playoffs. All hopes of Allen eventually returning died down until now.
Chanced upon by Hartford Courant during a basketball camp for kids at East Granby High, Allen continues to keep people guessing on his next move as far as his NBA career is concerned. Is he retired or is he still open to a comeback?
"I haven't said anything about that and I won't officially retire," says Allen during the interview.
The response alone draws various perceptions. Is the three-point specialist going to play any time soon or is he just leaving the door open for any potential comeback? He reasons out that it may all boil down to what comes his way.
"Because if something came to the table, contractually and situational-ly, I want to be able to take a strong look at it. I don't want to be that guy that says he's retiring and then is coming back."
For a player who has been known to shoot the lights out when given the opportunity, Allen can surely fit in with teams in search of an outside threat in Allen. Among the teams in search of one include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and even the San Antonio Spurs.
The Golden State Warriors were also interested and seeing the philosophy of coach Steve Kerr (who himself was a shooter during his playing days), Allen would have been a perfect fit and not pressured to play long minutes with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson around.
Allen has kept track of the happenings in the NBA, especially the last NBA Finals. His response alone somehow shows how he does miss playing competitive ball.
"I realized how much time I missed not being home with my kids. I probably missed it in the Finals. Watching Cleveland and Golden State play, it just seemed like an epic battle that required a lot of precision on the floor and that's when I felt, that was probably the only time that I felt like, 'Man, I should have been out there.'"
Realistically though, Allen knows that at his age, it may be hard to keep up with the young players the NBA has today. That however is not something that is preventing him from possibly making a return in the NBA.
For now, Allen seems content keeping himself in shape which could be a good idea should a tempting offer come his way. If not, well, Allen has nothing more to prove. He has done practically everything an NBA player would dream of, including two NBA titles (2008- Boston Celtics and 2013-Miami Heat)