The Celtics are mounting a late-season surge up the standings, but are doing it with Ray Allen not having the best morale. Allen was almost dealt at the trade deadline to the Grizzlies for O.J. Mayo, but with the deal falling through, Allen’s relationship with the Celtics’ front office has become damaged. With that and being demoted to the bench recently, a “slighted” Allen’s chances of returning to the Celtics next season are up in the air. From the Boston Globe:
Allen is savvy in never displaying his true emotions, always even keel with the media, very composed on and off the court. Yet, that does not mean he lacks emotion. It’s been a disappointing season for Allen, because privately, he feels somewhat slighted by an organization for which he developed a loyalty and trust – and his demeanor has changed over the past few weeks. …. Allen wants to finish this season with a championship, but the likelihood of his return next season has diminished.
“It’s hard to say,” Allen said on whether he wants to stay in Boston, according to the Boston Herald. “The landscape always changes over the summer. Just from what I see around the NBA, there’s a lot of teams that look forward to having me. I just want to be somewhere where I’m valued, cherished and I can go out and play.”
Allen added that getting a multi-year contract would help him make his decision. He wants more security than a one-year deal, which Boston is likely to offer, would provide.
“I don’t want to go into this season, like I have in past seasons, worrying about whether I was going to be traded or not,” Allen said. “At this point we want to ride it out, take this thing to the house, and not have the instability of not knowing whether today or tomorrow something is going to happen.”
Bad news for Allen: He’s turning 37 in July. All he’s probably going to be offered this summer are one-year deals. Missing most of the last month with a sore right ankle also tells teams he’s starting to ware. Even if he leaves the C’s, he probably won’t be treated much differently elsewhere. Maybe if Isiah Thomas came back to the Knicks, he’d at least get the contract he’s looking for.
H/T I am a GM
Photo credit: Michael Hickey-US PRESSWIRE
