Veteran shooting guard Ray Allen is reportedly expected to announce his decision whether or not he'll return for his 18^th NBA season after the All-Star break, a source close to situation reported on Thursday.

The buzz surrounding a possible return of the 39-year old Allen from his hiatus has gained steamed anew following report by ESPN NBA insider Ryen Rusillio about the sweet shooting guard's tentative date of announcement, which is believed to be the All-Star weekend festivities in New York.

Although nothing has changed in the pecking order of Allen's potential destinations (with the Cleveland Cavaliers remain the front-runner), Rusillio indicated the Atlanta Hawks have become the latest team to join the fray for his service.

Here are the details via CBS Sports Jason Butt:

"The Hawks are interested in acquiring free-agent shooting guard Ray Allen , according to a report from ESPN's Ryen Russillo.

However, Russillo reports that the Cavaliers are still the favorite to sign Allen. If Allen chose Cleveland, he would reunite with LeBron James, who he was a teammate with in Miami. In Atlanta, he'd add yet another three-point scoring threat to a team that's shooting 38.8 percent from behind the arc.  Allen holds a career scoring average of 18.9 points per game, while shooting 40 percent from three."

Allen, who averaged 18.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in his career and widely considered the best three-point shooter in NBA history, has been drawing interests from at least a dozen teams, all of them contenders, since the start of the free-agency period last summer.

Despite reports of possible retirement, Cavs star LeBron James has upped his effort in convincing Allen to come out of retirement and play with them for another shot at the crown. However, the Hawks' interest in the shooter is quite intriguing, especially for a team that has been dominant in the Eastern Conference playoff race in the first half of the season.