Wizards Pursue Ray Allen

The Wizards made contact with Ray Allen soon after free agency began, and they’re still interested in signing the sharpshooter, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. It’s nonetheless a long shot amid stiff competition from other NBA teams and Allen’s thoughts of retirement, though Allen and Wizards signee Paul Pierce are on good terms after Allen’s acrimonious departure from Boston in 2012, according to Michael.

Michael indicates that Allen likely would be willing to accept a minimum-salary deal, which is all the Wizards can offer, but the 39-year-old has publicly expressed reluctance to do so. The Cavs, the team most frequently linked to Allen this summer, can’t give him more than the minimum, either, but the Spurs have the full $5.305MM mid-level exception at their disposal, and San Antonio is among those in pursuit. The Clippers and Mavs are also reportedly in the mix, but the Jim Tanner client has repeatedly emphasized that he’s seriously considering retirement.

The Wizards don’t intend to carry a full 15-man roster come opening night, Michael writes, and that ostensibly would leave them greater flexibility to sign Allen at midseason if he were still available. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com recently suggested that it would make sense for Allen to sit out the start of the season and sign later, though there’s been no indication that the NBA’s all-time three-point shot maker is truly thinking about that option.

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