Hall of Famer Ray Allen joined the Miami Heat in 2013, which drew plenty of controversy at the time. (Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA Today Sports)
Hall of Fame sharpshooter Ray Allen once donned the Boston Celtics’ green and white, becoming a crucial piece to their championship team in 2007-08.
The marriage, which was a match made in heaven at the time, didn’t last forever.
Weeks after being eliminated by the Heat in the 2012 postseason, Allen joined the Heat in free agency. It inevitably drew the ire of Boston, including from many of his former teammates.
In a recent interview with Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, Allen revealed what drove him away from Bean Town.
“Once they started signing everybody else, they pushed me down, and I can see it,” he said, according to the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn. “My agent kept saying, ‘They’re not calling me back and they’re saying we’re going to wait and do your contract.’ You’re not placing any value on me to get anything done.
“Once I realized they were going to give me what was left, I understand where you’re placing my value. It’s time for me to go.”
In his final season with the Celtics, Allen averaged 14.2 points on a career-best 45.3 percent from 3-point range. But the then-36-year-old veteran appeared in just 46 games, playing just 34.0 minutes per game, his lowest since his rookie season (30.9 mpg) in 1996-97.
At the time, Boston was steering slightly younger with Rajon Rondo and guard Avery Bradley. So the writing was on the wall that they didn’t value Allen like they once did.
The 6-foot-5 guard spent the final two seasons of his career with Miami, winning one title and etching his name into Heat lore by knocking down one of the greatest postseason shots ever in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals.
In two seasons with the Heat, he averaged 10.3 points on 44.6 percent shooting and 39.8 percent from 3-point range. He was an integral floor spacer alongside the Big 3, as were Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier.
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