Ray Allen is already leaning towards retirement, but the veteran shooting guard remains a one of the most coveted free agents at this point as several teams are still interested in acquiring him.
CSN Washington reported that Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams interested in acquiring Allen aside from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Bucks head coach Jason Kidd confirmed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that they indeed talked to Allen about his interest in returning to the team where he started his NBA career, but the 39-year-old veteran was not ready to commit to a contract.
"We did contact Ray," Kidd said. "He's weighing his options to see where he wants to go. But we did have interest."
Allen played his first six and a half seasons in the league in Milwaukee before being traded to the Seattle Supersonics halfway through the 2002-03 NBA season.
Kidd said that Allen, who led the Bucks to a stint in the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals, still has a lot of fans in Milwaukee, which was the main reason why they tried their luck in convincing the sharp-shooting guard.
"We thought, just like the fans, that it might be a good situation for him to be able to come back and also teach the young guys," Kidd added.
The first-year Bucks coach has a relatively young team, but he feels that Allen would be a good fit to the Bucks. Aside from having additional options in offense, Kidd feels that Allen is the perfect mentor to their young players like 2014 second overall pick Jabari Parker, but the 18-year veteran is not interested in taking the role.
"You can't give him a second to shoot it because something good might happen," Kidd said. "He's a competitor and wants to win. He's good but he's even better off the court. We thought he would be a good piece for us to try to get but he didn't have any interest."
Allen, who averaged 18.9 points to go along with 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 18 seasons in the league, is still unsure on whether or not he will play in his 19th season with sources saying that the former Connecticut standout will not make a decision until January.
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