Hall of Famer Ray Allen didn’t end up his stint with Boston Celtics on good terms, despite helping the team to win an NBA title. But, as it turns out, there was an opportunity in 2016 for him and the franchise to make amends.
Allen left Boston in 2012 to join Miami Heat, where he won another championship before retiring in 2014. Two years later, however, he considered unretiring and re-signing with the Celtics if the team landed Kevin Durant in free agency.
During his appearance on “Ordway, Merloni & Fauria” radio show, Allen said that he had a brief discussion with Celtics’ president Danny Ainge and told him he’ll return to Boston if Durant goes there as well.
“I had a conversation with (Ainge) and I told him this was my last-ditch effort. I would’ve went back,” said Allen. “This was when Kevin Durant was a free agent. He was thinking about going to Boston. And I said, ‘Hey, if you guys land Kevin, I would certainly look at lacing them back up one more time and try to make something good happen here in Boston.’ “
Ray Allen joined the Boston Celtics in 2007 in a blockbuster trade that paired him with All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The trio won their first NBA championship next year and looked like a dynasty in the making. However, they managed to reach only one NBA Finals, which they lost to the LA Lakers, in the next four years.
Celtics’ big three split in the summer of 2012, when Allen rejected a more lucrative offer from Celtics in order to join their conference rivals Miami Heat. The split caused a lot of controversies and many of Allen’s former teammates haven’t forgiven him for this move.
