Neither is Jeff Green though. And Jeff Green has never once in his career been worth that much.
Whereas Ray has been, just in terms of putting the ball in the basket, passing it, not turning it over. Yet people around here are acting as if Ray was trying to steal from the Celtics.
Jeff Green is 26 years old, Ray Allen is 36 years old.
Going into the last year of their contacts Jeff Green will be 28, will be in his prime, and will still be playing at a high level for years to come. Even if he doesn't fit the team by that time, he will still be young, athletic and versatile so he will always have solid trade value.
Ray will be 38, and will be about as effective as Mike Bibby was in Miami - good enough for about 10 minutes a game and capable of hitting the occasional big shot, but otherwise a major liability. Hell he might even be retired, leaving boston with a $9 million cap commitment to a guy who's not even playing. Plus Ray requested a no trade clause, so if he IS useless buy this point, Boston can't even get anyone back for him.
Now this is all based purely on your insistence that Ray is a more productive player - lets take a look at that theory.
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Stat | Allen | Green
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OREB% | 1.1% | 3.7%
DREB% | 9.3% | 13.8%
REB% | 5.4% | 8.9%
AST% | 11.6% | 7.5%
AST Ratio | 15.2 | 9.5
TO Ratio | 9.49 | 8.73
Restrict area | 63% | 66%
In the Paint | 38% | 34%
Mid Range | 39% | 40%
Corner 3 | 48% | 44%
Above Break 3 | 43% | 25%
So looking at the stats above, how is it that Ray is worth 9M right now, but Green is not? The only statistic that stands out in Ray's favour shooting wise is above-break three. Everywhere else they pretty much average out.
Other then shooting Ray Allen gives 1.6x more assists wise, while Green gives 1.6x more rebounds - again that about evens out...especially on the offensive rebounds, where Green is nearly 3.4x more productive then Ray. So based on statistics alone, the two are pretty even.
Green did all of this in only 22 minutes or so off the bench for a Boston team he'd only played half a season with, while playing with a (as yet undetected) heart condition. Ray put up those numbers playing in a system he's been in for the past 5 years, with players he's known for what seems like forever, and in an offensive scheme that (through all the fancy screens) was largely designed with his offensive game in mind.
You can add on top of this the fact that Green's defense is also superior beyond compare to Allen's at this point in time.
Oh, and Green also has the flexibility to play two positions (SF or PF) - sure he may be more efficient at SF, but against second-tier PF's he is more then capable. This gives makes him added insurance because he can fill in both roles if somebody gets hurt or in foul trouble. Ray is a pure SG because he lacks the quickness and handles to play PG or the size/strength to play SF.
Then on top of ALL of that you have the intangibles - Ray was obviously a locker room problem who didn't get along with Rondo, and had a major issue with coming off the bench as well as being unappy sacrificing his shots. All signs so far suggest that Green gets along with everyone, is happy to come off the bench, and has no care whatsoever about how big a part of the offense he is.
So tell me again, how is Ray Allen for 9 million over 3 years with a no trade MORE appealing than Jeff Green over 3 years for similar money and without a no trade clause?
Especially when you consider that we also have Terry (and possibly Mayo / Lee) as insurance in case he doesn't pan out - every one of those three guys is pretty much as productive overall as Ray Allen.