While the Cleveland Cavaliers are still considered the frontrunner to sign free agent Ray Allen, the veteran might not choose a team until the New Year. Basketball Insiders' Yannis Koutroupis believes Allen won't sign with a team until after 2014.
The waiting game continues. While the 39-year-old hasn't ruled out retirement, most believe he will return for his 19th season. The question is when. Allen purportedly wants to wait until at least after preseason to sign with a team, to help limit the wear-and-tear on his body. Koutroupis, though, believes it could be even longer before Allen suits up again.
"Allen is on nobody's time table other than his own, and the NBA's deadline for a player to be on a roster in order to be playoff eligible, which is still months down the road," Koutroupis wrote Thursday. "I fully expect him to play this year because he's able to hand-pick which contender he wants to play for. There's not a team in the league that wouldn't make room for Allen if he said he wanted to play there, even if it was after the New Year.
"With that said, though, I can't imagine him playing anywhere other than Cleveland. It's the ideal situation for him and the Cavaliers have already made it clear that they're willing to give him as much time as he needs in order to make his decision. I'd expect him to make a decision well in advance of the All-Star break, but probably not before 2014 is over."
Cleveland gives Allen his best chance to win another NBA title, and the team also has his friend and former teammate, LeBron James. That doesn't mean teams won't at least try to sway the veteran away from Ohio. Allen's list of suitors reportedly includes the San Antonio Spurs, the Washington Wizards and the Los Angeles Clippers.
