With the Cleveland Cavaliers seemingly having moved on from signing free agent Ray Allen, the Washington Wizards now appear to have a better chance to sign the veteran. CSN Washington's J. Michael reported the Wizards are in "routine" contact with the 39-year-old guard, who has yet to decide whether he will return for his 19th season.
Cleveland trading for J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert signified the front office could no longer wait on Allen to decide if and where he would sign this season. The Cavaliers were considered the frontrunners to land Allen, and with them seemingly bowing out of the race, the field for Allen is considerably more open.
The two biggest contenders for Allen now appear to be the Wizards and the Los Angeles Clippers, due to Allen's ties to both teams: Paul Pierce, his former teammate, in Washington and Doc Rivers, his former coach, in Los Angeles.
For Washington, they're reportedly continuing to pursue him to bolster their depth at the 2-spot.
"Ray Allen is not out of the picture," Michael wrote Friday. "He still hasn't given an answer about his intention to play again, but two people on separate sides of the matter have said the Wizards have made 'routine' contact - using this exact word - since first expressing their interest in July. Until Allen says, 'I'm retired' or 'No thanks,' the Wizards will continue to chase him."
Both teams are hard-capped, though, and limited in what they can offer him. Washington waived guard Glen Rice Jr. on Wednesday, creating an extra roster spot and putting the team around $4 million under the tax threshold; Los Angeles has even less money to offer, being just $1.61 million under the threshold.
Allen hasn't decided whether he'll return for another season, and a report from ESPN on Dec. 26 claimed the 3-point specialist is leaning toward retirement.
