A little more than a year ago, Ray Allen told Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times that he was thinking about retiring at the end of last season. The 18th-year veteran won’t rule it out for this summer, but he says stepping away from the game isn’t his plan, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel observes.
“At this point, I love how my body feels,” Allen said. “It’s 18 years for me. I love what I’ve done and how I’ve continued to feel.”
Allen, 38, is in the final season of a two-year deal. He could have opted out of the pact last summer in search of a multiyear contract, but he didn’t want to think beyond the 2013/14 season.
“I was like, ‘Let’s try it again and we’ll deal with that issue then,’ because nothing’s more important than the present,” Allen said. “And that’s the one thing I learned early in my career, is always be in the moment.”
The sharpshooter will make a final decision this summer about playing in 2014/15, but he says his desire to keep playing has much to do with his affection for working with his Heat teammates, calling his time in Miami the most fun he’s had in his career. It’ll be a pivotal summer for the Heat, with only Norris Cole on a guaranteed contract for next season. Each of the team’s three superstars can opt for free agency, Shane Battier is likely to retire, and Winderman suggests Rashard Lewis, James Jones and perhaps Udonis Haslem are nearing the end, too.