Danny Ainge HAS made an offer to Ray *link*

[Spilling Green Dye]

Don't forget, Ray let us down in the playoff's
I would rather have JJ Redick, Anthony morrow,play the 2 for us than to sign ray to a 3 year deal.
I think we should invest and trade for Rudy Fernandez, he can be our starting 2. Ray is going to get offers for 40 million in this market, and we know that is not fair after how he played in the finals, guy could not buy a basket.

Ray didn't let us down

Ray play defense as well as anybody could do on Wade and Kobe

without Ray we probably wouldn't even be in the finals

or maybe there won't even be a 7th game

we played horrible at game 2

Ray shoots us into a W at game 2


but i do agree we have to move on if he is looking for too much

for me i'll offer 3 years 20 that's as far i can accept

guy play like in his early 30s but he is a 35 going 36 year old

would be nice to have rudy

i think he is quick and athletic enough to play defense

I'd be fine with the 3 yrs for $20mil total, but I don't see that happening.

However, I must disagree with you regarding Ray in the playoffs.  He did not play good defense on Wade, but he did on Kobe.. although he always has played good defense on Kobe.  Tony Allen played better defense overall.

Ray did win game 2 of the finals, but he lost us games 3 and 7, and it wasn't even close.  Had he been "bad" and not awful either one of those games we would be celebrating the championship victory.  His cold shooting in games 4 and 5 were overcome by other players playing well.

I think the youth movement is something that needs to be carefully phased in, and not all at once.  This summer is the perfect opportunity to phase in a young new SG.  If they could get Morrow I'd love it! 

[Jon]

At this point, how much do years and dollars even matter?  While I'm not saying we should give Ray something utterly ridiculous, with Paul locked up for 4 more years, the need to restrict Ray to only a 2 year deal isn't nearly as important.  If anything, extending Paul means that we need to win now, so I see the C's more willing to pay Ray now than they were a week ago. 

[hpantazo]

At this point, how much do years and dollars even matter?  While I'm not saying we should give Ray something utterly ridiculous, with Paul locked up for 4 more years, the need to restrict Ray to only a 2 year deal isn't nearly as important.  If anything, extending Paul means that we need to win now, so I see the C's more willing to pay Ray now than they were a week ago. 

I think the rule regarding players over 37 has something to do with the number of years.

[Andy Jick]

There is one thing that will accompany Ray at this stage of his career: inconsistency.

Personally, I'd let him go.  As much as I appreciate what he's done, I think it's time to start melding younger players into this aging roster.  If someone offers Ray a 3-year deal, I would never match the length and offer him my handshake of thanks and move on.

[Jon]

To respond to the two posters above:

1) I don't particularly want Ray here when he's over 37.  However, how much "rebuilding" are we going to be able to do with Paul Pierce signed on for 4 more years?

2) At this point I would give him a third year if it was the difference between him staying or going.  If this was a week ago we could debate the merits of blowing this thing up and going for another push.  However, the decision has been made: we're going for another run at the ring.  If that's the case, we have to re-sign Ray or sign and trade him.  I really think that by committing to Paul, they've pretty much committed to Ray too.  There's no point in bringing back Paul, Doc, and keeping KG if we're just going to make a second round playoff exit.  

Still, I'm not convinced we'll have to go to these lengths.  I'm still not convinced that there's a huge market for Ray.  Teams that strike out big aren't going to give him anything more than a 1-year deal (thought it might be big) and only the right alignment of stars with one franchise will be good enough to draw him (if they have the chance) and sign him (if they still have money).  It's quite possible that the best offers he gets are 1 year deals and multi-year deals at the MLE. 

[Chris]

Of course he has.  And my guess is that it is a very reasonable two year deal.  But Ray is clearly waiting until the market plays out to see what is out there...unless Danny steps up to the plate with a big 3 year deal to blow him away. 

In other words...this is going to be going on for a while longer, and because of that, everything else will be on hold for a while too.

[thirstyboots18]

Young and athletic don't equate to championships.

Lakers weren't exactly gazelles.

Good point!  How many young athletic teams have won a championship?  Seems to me you need a combination of young legs and experienced minds...which, luckily, is what we have!    

[KungPoweChicken]

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/67862/20100705/celtics_have_made_offer_to_ray_allen/

The Celtics have made an offer to free-agent guard Ray Allen, but the length or value of the deal remains unknown.

"While Celtics GM Danny Ainge said an offer has been made to Ray Allen, he declined to reveal years or dollar amount," FanHouse's Chris Tomasson wrote on his Twitter page.

In my opinion if Ray was SERIOUS about coming back he would have handled the situation exactly how Pierce did... This reminds me of the James Posey situation.. I wouldn't be opposed to a sign and trade with the Heat, Knicks, Bulls, which are his likely destinations. Beasley, Wilson Chandler & Curry, Deng? All would be decent options but I'm not too sure about Deng.

Are you not sure about Deng as in the Bulls wouldn't trade him for Ray. Or are you not sure about Deng as in you don't like his game. I think Ray for Deng would be an absolute steal for us. Yeah, Pierce is too slow for two guard position these days, but Deng just has superior talent to Ray Allen at this point. Plus, Deng can play great D on LeBron, Wade, Carter, Kobe, and all the other usual suspects we will see in the playoffs.

[Evantime34]

Everyone seems nervous about Ray leaving but here are some reasons I think he stays.
1. For his son: who should stay in an area where they have one of the best children's hospitals.
2. To Win: He has won with us before he will win with us again.
3. For the money: If Ray wants to play on a good team besides ours he has to take a pay cut. Most of the good teams around the league are over the cap (except Chicago), meaning in order to go to such team he would either need to sign for the MLE or get us to work out a sign and trade.

If Bosh, Wade and Lebron decided they wanted to play together and they needed Ray he would have to sign for the vet min. Chicago is the only potential suitor who scares me. They could get Bosh or Boozer and still sign Ray to a contract we wouldn't want to match.

I believe he is just waiting until we give him a 3 year deal. As soon as Danny breaks down to do this he will sign with us.

[Chris]

Everyone seems nervous about Ray leaving but here are some reasons I think he stays.
1. For his son: who should stay in an area where they have one of the best children's hospitals.
2. To Win: He has won with us before he will win with us again.
3. For the money: If Ray wants to play on a good team besides ours he has to take a pay cut. Most of the good teams around the league are over the cap (except Chicago), meaning in order to go to such team he would either need to sign for the MLE or get us to work out a sign and trade.

If Bosh, Wade and Lebron decided they wanted to play together and they needed Ray he would have to sign for the vet min. Chicago is the only potential suitor who scares me. They could get Bosh or Boozer and still sign Ray to a contract we wouldn't want to match.

I believe he is just waiting until we give him a 3 year deal. As soon as Danny breaks down to do this he will sign with us.

I agree with reasons 1 and 2.  I don't think 3 is true however.  I don't think Danny is afraid of losing him at all, and I don't think he is going to "break down".  This is looking a lot like the Posey negotiations.  Danny has set a value, and I don't think he is going to go over it.

I also think Danny has no problem signing and trading him (in fact, he may prefer it if he can get the right deal), and whichever team gets Wade and/or Lebron is going to be offering him significantly more money than the C's will IMO, either through a straight signing (there are teams with a lot of cap space), or through a sign and trade.  Those teams are going to be much more motivated to sign him than the C's are, and I think they will be much more likely to give him more years than the C's are willing to go.

So, I think there is a chance Ray could stay here, because he is comfortable, both with his family, and with the team/organization, however, if he does, he will likely be taking a sizable home town discount. 

And the longer this takes to happen, the more it tells me that he is not set on staying here for those reasons, and will take the extra money, as soon as it is presented to him.

BTW, another thing to take into consideration is the fact that because of the over-36 rule, the C's can offer Ray a deal for 4 years (as long as it is signed before July 20th...Ray's Birthday) without it being affected by this rule.  However, if another team offers him 4 years, it would be affected by the over-36 rule.  This would mean that for another team to give him 4 years (you never know, given the way things are going in this market), they would have even more motivation to work out a sign and trade.

[Evantime34]

Everyone seems nervous about Ray leaving but here are some reasons I think he stays.
1. For his son: who should stay in an area where they have one of the best children's hospitals.
2. To Win: He has won with us before he will win with us again.
3. For the money: If Ray wants to play on a good team besides ours he has to take a pay cut. Most of the good teams around the league are over the cap (except Chicago), meaning in order to go to such team he would either need to sign for the MLE or get us to work out a sign and trade.

If Bosh, Wade and Lebron decided they wanted to play together and they needed Ray he would have to sign for the vet min. Chicago is the only potential suitor who scares me. They could get Bosh or Boozer and still sign Ray to a contract we wouldn't want to match.

I believe he is just waiting until we give him a 3 year deal. As soon as Danny breaks down to do this he will sign with us.

I agree with reasons 1 and 2.  I don't think 3 is true however.  I don't think Danny is afraid of losing him at all, and I don't think he is going to "break down".  This is looking a lot like the Posey negotiations.  Danny has set a value, and I don't think he is going to go over it.

I also think Danny has no problem signing and trading him (in fact, he may prefer it if he can get the right deal), and whichever team gets Wade and/or Lebron is going to be offering him significantly more money than the C's will IMO, either through a straight signing (there are teams with a lot of cap space), or through a sign and trade.  Those teams are going to be much more motivated to sign him than the C's are, and I think they will be much more likely to give him more years than the C's are willing to go.

So, I think there is a chance Ray could stay here, because he is comfortable, both with his family, and with the team/organization, however, if he does, he will likely be taking a sizable home town discount. 

And the longer this takes to happen, the more it tells me that he is not set on staying here for those reasons, and will take the extra money, as soon as it is presented to him.

BTW, another thing to take into consideration is the fact that because of the over-36 rule, the C's can offer Ray a deal for 4 years (as long as it is signed before July 20th...Ray's Birthday) without it being affected by this rule.  However, if another team offers him 4 years, it would be affected by the over-36 rule.  This would mean that for another team to give him 4 years (you never know, given the way things are going in this market), they would have even more motivation to work out a sign and trade.

Thanks for mentioning the over 36 rule effecting other teams but not us.

As for teams that sign Lebron or Wade having money to sign Ray I disagree with this (except in Miami's case). If Lebron leaves the Cavs he's going with another Max free agent. The only team with room for more than one max free agent is Miami.
(http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-freeagency-100629/how-much-salary-cap-space-team-nba-free-agency).
If Ray leaves us I still believe it will need to be to a contending team. Does he leave us for a team that only lands one of the max free agents? I don't believe so.

[guava_wrench]

Ray needs to look out for himself considering we were looking to trade him last season. Ray should not give a hometown discount only to be traded elsewhere. If he plays in another city, his family can move. The kids are still young so it isn't an problem.

I hope he comes back, but he needs to go to the best situation.

[Chris]

Everyone seems nervous about Ray leaving but here are some reasons I think he stays.
1. For his son: who should stay in an area where they have one of the best children's hospitals.
2. To Win: He has won with us before he will win with us again.
3. For the money: If Ray wants to play on a good team besides ours he has to take a pay cut. Most of the good teams around the league are over the cap (except Chicago), meaning in order to go to such team he would either need to sign for the MLE or get us to work out a sign and trade.

If Bosh, Wade and Lebron decided they wanted to play together and they needed Ray he would have to sign for the vet min. Chicago is the only potential suitor who scares me. They could get Bosh or Boozer and still sign Ray to a contract we wouldn't want to match.

I believe he is just waiting until we give him a 3 year deal. As soon as Danny breaks down to do this he will sign with us.

I agree with reasons 1 and 2.  I don't think 3 is true however.  I don't think Danny is afraid of losing him at all, and I don't think he is going to "break down".  This is looking a lot like the Posey negotiations.  Danny has set a value, and I don't think he is going to go over it.

I also think Danny has no problem signing and trading him (in fact, he may prefer it if he can get the right deal), and whichever team gets Wade and/or Lebron is going to be offering him significantly more money than the C's will IMO, either through a straight signing (there are teams with a lot of cap space), or through a sign and trade.  Those teams are going to be much more motivated to sign him than the C's are, and I think they will be much more likely to give him more years than the C's are willing to go.

So, I think there is a chance Ray could stay here, because he is comfortable, both with his family, and with the team/organization, however, if he does, he will likely be taking a sizable home town discount. 

And the longer this takes to happen, the more it tells me that he is not set on staying here for those reasons, and will take the extra money, as soon as it is presented to him.

BTW, another thing to take into consideration is the fact that because of the over-36 rule, the C's can offer Ray a deal for 4 years (as long as it is signed before July 20th...Ray's Birthday) without it being affected by this rule.  However, if another team offers him 4 years, it would be affected by the over-36 rule.  This would mean that for another team to give him 4 years (you never know, given the way things are going in this market), they would have even more motivation to work out a sign and trade.

Thanks for mentioning the over 36 rule effecting other teams but not us.

As for teams that sign Lebron or Wade having money to sign Ray I disagree with this (except in Miami's case). If Lebron leaves the Cavs he's going with another Max free agent. The only team with room for more than one max free agent is Miami.
(http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-freeagency-100629/how-much-salary-cap-space-team-nba-free-agency).
If Ray leaves us I still believe it will need to be to a contending team. Does he leave us for a team that only lands one of the max free agents? I don't believe so.

Well, I think it is a very real possibility that Miami keeps Wade, and then signs either Bosh or Boozer.  In that situation, I think they would then throw a big contract at Ray to fill out the lineup a bit.

But more importantly, I expect the sign and trade route to be explored thoroughly.  I think Danny will be more than open to sign and trading Ray, if it brings back a younger big man or wing (or a trade exception to use to get a guy like that).

While they love what Ray brings to this team, I think there is not the connection that say, Pierce has (on both ends), and therefore, I think Danny will be looking for whatever is best for the team short-term and long-term, and will not overpay (at least in years) to keep Ray here, and if another team is willing to overpay, and will give the C's some value back, he will jump at it.

[thirstyboots18]

I don't know if this would affect the equation,  I saw somewhere that Toronto has agreed to sign and trade Bosh to Cleveland.  I am trying to find it again, but don't see it...I guess this make it a rumor....

[Jon]

I don't know if this would affect the equation,  I saw somewhere that Toronto has agreed to sign and trade Bosh to Cleveland.  I am trying to find it again, but don't see it...I guess this make it a rumor....

But apparently Bosh doesn't want to play in Cleveland. 

We'll have to see if he changes his tune if Toronto refuses to sign and trade him elsewhere.