After losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat suffered a heartbreak when LeBron James left the team the summer of that year. Soon after, they learned that veteran Ray Allen wouldn't be back. There were rumors of Allen returning to the game, but the Hall of Famer officially retired in 2016 and just told The Athletic's Shams Charania that he was never close to a comeback.
“I was never close to coming back, man. Nobody presented anything tangible to make me question and say, “You know what: I like this opportunity, it’s sound, it makes sense. Let’s look at this.” Nobody did that. So I stayed retired. As much as I put in to being prepared, it’s tougher as an older player to stay ready because you get tight quicker. So I was curious what teams that wanted my services, if they were actually going to use me.
“Some teams were discussing having me at the end of the bench mentoring our younger players. I don’t think I wanted to come back like that. I wanted to play to help if I came back. Don’t look at me and tell me that I could still play. We want you to play, but we want you to sit on the bench and mentor the younger guys. What was tricky was, it was all about what a team would offer me financially, because that was their commitment to me that they were going to play me in their rotation because I can help them win.”
Allen's nearly unparalleled shooting and veteran experience would have come in handy for any contending team, and he is always known as someone who takes really good care of his body. There were rumors that the Hall of Famer may join the Golden State Warriors, among other option, but that never materialized.
It would have been a pleasure to see one of the all-time great shooters set foot on the court again, but it never came to be and was not ever close.
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