The Cavs’ roster reached the training camp maximum size of 20 players when they came to terms on deal with A.J. Price this weekend, but the club’s front office is still holding out hope that it can find a way to land the heavily targeted Ray Allen, reports Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal. Allen is contemplating retirement, but Lloyd hears the Cavs still privately believe he’ll return to action and sign with Cleveland.
“I don’t think we’d ever give up on (Allen),” said Cleveland GM David Griffin on Monday. “Until he signs, that’s going to be a target for everybody.”
Allen, 39, is coming off his worst year statistically, but he still shot an impressive 37.5% from beyond the arc. He’s received interest from a variety of teams this summer, including the Spurs, Wizards, and Bulls. While he isn’t likely to put up numbers close to those from the prime of his career, he could still be a valuable bench piece for a Cavs team with title aspirations.
In addition to their continued pursuit of Allen, Lloyd hears Cleveland wants to bring aboard a big man to supplement their frontcourt. The team recently inked Lou Amundson to a minimum-salary deal, and Lloyd hears the the UNLV product is likely to make the opening night roster. Although Griffin said he’s optimistic about center Brendan Haywood‘s progress coming off of injury, Lloyd writes that the Cavs are still “aggressively” seeking to add another rim protector to their squad.
Just 12 of the 20 contracts on Cleveland’s books are fully guaranteed, meaning the Cavs can easily make a move to accommodate Allen or a free agent big man if they’ can strike a deal that both sides see fit. The Cavs are limited to paying any free agent no more than the minimum.