The Miami Heat have lost seven of their past eight games to drop down to the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference and their issues have been exposed. One of the Heat's biggest issues is their inability to shoot the ball from long-range, an issue which they are looking to address. The answer to Miami's shooting woes is not currently on the roster so they are looking outside the organization and one of the guys they have been looking at is Ray Allen, according to Ethan J. Skolnick of the Miami Herald.
The Heat currently rank 26th in the NBA in three pointers made this season and 27th in three point percentage so clearly it is an are that needs improvement. Allen is a name that always comes up among Heat fans because he has said that he would consider coming out of retirement for the right situation and Miami was the last team he played for.
Allen reportedly has no intention of coming back to play for the Heat though as they have a standing offer out to him to return to the team, an offer that has been in place since the 2014 offseason. Not only do the Heat have a standing offer out to Allen but they also have reportedly tried to get him back on the team as recently as this past summer but to no avail.
At this point it seems very likely that Allen will remain retired as he hasn't played since the 2013-14 season and he has had many opportunites to return. Allen's former teammates and some friends also expect him to stay retired and a return to the Heat is even less likely. Allen's tenure in Miami did not end well as he was unhappy with the rotation and scheduling and he expressed his frustrations to teammates and coaches.
Allen is now 40 years old so it is impossible to know how much he would have left in the tank anyway especially when you consider he has been out of the league for almost two years now. Still, Allen has always kept himself in great shape and is one of the best shooters to ever play the game so if he wanted to he could likely help a team like the Heat a lot. The worst percentage Allen ever shot from three in a single season was 36 and right now that would make him the team's third best marksmen from three.
Allen returning to the Heat was always a pipedream but this report makes it seem like there is at least some closure. The Heat still have that standing offer out to him should he have a change of heart but the future Hall of Famer doesn't seem likely to return to the NBA ever again.
