One of the most sought after free agents in the NBA this summer has been none other than future Hall of Famer Ray Allen. With Allen not exactly thrilled about returning to the Boston Celtics with a supposed rift with perennial All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo and potentially looking to explore other possibilities, the door was open for any team in need of an All-Star caliber shooting guard with unlimited range from beyond the arc.

Obviously, Allen isn’t the superstar he once was with the Seattle Supersonics or during the early days with the Celtics, but he still brings value to any title contender with the ability to stretch the defense. Even though at 37-years-old most people believed that Allen wouldn’t get a lot of interest around the league, the one-time NBA champion received more interest than anticipated from teams like the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers.

It’s no secret that in order to continue to contend for a title a team must continue to bring in talented players and with roles off the bench or in the starting lineup. With that being said, Allen’s value was huge for teams looking to contend for at least the next two to three years. It remains uncertain how many years he’ll have left in his legs, but Allen keeps in tremendous shape and is always a force to be reckoned with on the floor.

As a result of Allen’s conditioning and ability to be a serious threat from beyond the arc, the veteran guard was coveted by the Heat. Miami was looking for another player to stretch the defense much like Mike Miller and Shane Battier, and they got just that by convincing Allen to sign for three years at a rate of $3 million per season.

Related News

• Ray Allen Shows Interest in Signing with the Miami Heat
• Ray Allen to Talk to Clippers and Heat Before Making Decision
• Is the Big 3 Era Over for the Boston Celtics?
• Danny Ainge getting little interest in Boston Celtics Big 3
• Boston Celtics sign Jermaine O’Neal to two-year deal