Steve Mitchell-USA Today Sports
Last summer, Ray Allen made the decision to leave the Boston Celtics, taking less less money to sign with the Miami Heat. It was viewed as a backstabbing move in Boston, but Allen’s overall thought-process was simple — he wanted a ring.
The 2012-13 season made Allen look like a genius.
Rajon Rondo tore his ACL and the Celtics never amounted to anything more than a playoff squad this past spring. In turn, Allen hit one of the biggest shots of his career, forcing overtime in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The Heat obviously went on to win and then take Game 7, hoisting the NBA Championship trophy — it’s exactly what Allen wanted.
Now, Allen has a player option for this off-season and he could opt out and test the free agent market if he so chooses. However, Miami is making it clear that they want Allen to return and one would have to assume — why wouldn’t he come back?
The only assumption that would prevent this would be if Allen made the decision to retire and walk away from the game as a winner. Yet, that doesn’t appear to be his thought-process. If Allen wants to play next season, why would he go anywhere other than Miami — the Heat are the favorites once again and will be looking for a third consecutive championship. It’s that simple.
Allen has the player option in his contract, but don’t expect him to up and leave Miami if he plans on returning to the court next season.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
