LeBron James surely missed the sun and surf of Miami winters, but he also had another reason to rehab from knee and back strains in warmer weather – to see an old friend. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar recruited free agent sharpshooter and former teammate Ray Allen on his recent trip to South Florida.
During James’ Miami jaunt, the four-time MVP met with free-agent guard and former Miami Heat teammate Ray Allen to try to appeal to the league’s all-time leader in 3-pointers again about joining the Cavs this season, multiple sources told ESPN.com.
McMenamin also writes that several other members of the Cavaliers organization have maintained contact with Allen throughout the season in hopes of luring him to Cleveland.
Northeast Ohio has long been considered Allen’s likeliest destination upon his return to the court – his camp has even had to refute multiple reports that he’s already decided to sign with the Cavs. But retirement remains an option for the future Hall-of-Famer, as does lacing up with one of the other contenders that have expressed interest in acquiring him – a group that includes the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, and Washington Wizards among others.
Still, that James made sure to pitch Allen in-person can only be considered encouraging from a Cleveland perspective. The two are notoriously close, and it’s safe to assume the league’s all-time leader in three-pointers has kept a close eye on the Cavaliers’ stellar play since LeBron returned.
ESPN reported early last month that Allen told interested teams to “talk to me” in January, and that a decision on his playing future would come soon thereafter. Might James’ last-ditch recruitment sway him to Cleveland?
We’ll find out soon enough.
What do you think?
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