Ray Allen shrugs off rumors suggesting that he is bound to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers as the free agent shooting guard insisted that he has yet to decide on what he intends to do this summer.
Allen told the Boston Herald that he is surprised with all reports indicating that he will return next season with the Cavaliers, saying that no decision has been made at this point of the offseason.
"There's so much speculation about me going to Cleveland. I haven't even decided where I will play," Allen said.
The veteran shooting guard developed a close relationship with LeBron James and James Jones during their time in Miami, but Allen insisted that both players have not reached out to him in the hopes of recruiting him to join the Cavaliers.
"Obviously LeBron and I are great friends, and James Jones and I are really close. But at no point have those two tried to push me in that direction. I haven't had that conversation," Allen said.
Allen, who averaged 9.6 points on 44.2 percent shooting from the field last season, admitted that he went into a vacation with James earlier this summer when the four-time MVP was still thinking about his decision, but the 18-year veteran stressed that they did not even talk about free agency during the trip.
"LeBron and I went on vacation to the Bahamas earlier this summer, and we didn't talk one iota about things. And that was before he made his decision," Allen said.
For now, Allen, who is the all-time leader for three-pointers made, insisted that he is just focused on gauging whether or not he still has what it takes to return to the NBA next season.
"It's just what they start talking about on TV - where I'm supposed to go. I have not leaned towards Cleveland," Allen said. "I have not made any mention of going to Cleveland. These last two months were about me physically, and deciding whether I want to play again."
And while Allen remains undecided about his future, the Cavaliers reportedly talked to veteran forward Shawn Marion about the possibility of moving to Cleveland this summer.
Marc Stein of ESPN reported that the Cavaliers and Marion met on Monday in Cleveland to discuss a possible deal - a move that would give Cleveland another veteran that could improve their title chances next season.
Marion averaged 10.4 points to go along with 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game with the Dallas Mavericks last season.
© 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.