Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James reportedly met recently with free agent Ray Allen to persuade him to sign with the Cavs. The meeting, which ESPN reported happened earlier in January while James was in Miami recovering from his injuries, indicates Cleveland is still interested in signing Allen despite the recent trade for guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert.
Cleveland has long been linked to Allen, who purportedly is still deciding whether he wants to return for his 19th season. Although the acquisition of Smith and Shumpert seemingly filled Cleveland's need for depth at the 2-spot, Cleveland still appears to be trying to bring Allen aboard.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported Thursday that James had met with Allen in Miami during his two-week rest period earlier in January, when he visited South Beach because the warmer weather was believed to be helpful in recovering from his strained knee and back.
"During James' Miami jaunt, the four-time MVP met with free-agent guard and former Miami Heat teammate Ray Allen to try to appeal to the league's all-time leader in 3-pointers again about joining the Cavs this season, multiple sources told ESPN.com," McMenamin wrote.
McMenamin also reported Cavaliers veterans James Jones and Mike Miller, both of whom Allen played with in Miami, and assistant coach Tyronn Lue, who was an assistant coach in Boston while Allen was there, have all stayed in contact with the 39-year-old throughout the season.
For Allen's part, he's been mostly quiet about his plans. He spoke with the Sun-Sentinel, according to ESPN, earlier in the week and didn't rule out playing this season. When asked about returning, Allen said: "At my age, I need to stay in shape."
Another report from ESPN in December indicated Allen would begin fielding calls from teams in January and decide whether to return in February.
