The 10-time All Star was stuck in between a pair of enticing offers, and it looks like the talented guard will in fact spurn the Celtics after all. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Allen has informed the Celtics that he will sign with the Miami Heat.
Allen spent five seasons in Boston, helping the team reach two NBA Finals and win one championship during his tenure. The NBA's all-time leading 3-point shooter was a big piece in the Celtics run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals this year. But it seems that Allen is now prepared to join the team that ended the Celtics hopes of one more title.
All indications are that Allen's deal with the Heat will be for their mini Mid Level Exception, which translates to about $3 million per year. Boston had reportedly offered Allen a two-year, $6 million deal but he may have been after more than just the money.
Since winning the NBA title in June, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Co. have been making a hard sell for Allen to come join forces with them in Florida. And it looks like Allen took the bait, seeking to add another championship to his resume before heading off into the sunset.
It will be interesting to see how the other members of the Big 3 like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce handle the news that Allen has left the C's in favor of the enemy. The addition of Jason Terry should help to ease the blow for the C's, but Allen's deadly accuracy from the outside will certainly be missed late in games.
Boston now needs to make another move in order to make up for the lost production and value that Allen takes with him. It will also be more difficult to bring in a major free agent, as Boston retained bird rights to Allen and thus his contract would not have impacted the salary cap.
O.J. Mayo may be a little pricey, but he also may be the best option for the Celtics at this point, especially if they expect to compete for another championship with Miami next season. Either way, Allen's absence is going to inflict a big blow on Doc Rivers' team in the near future.
