We knew Ray Allen most likely wasn’t staying with the Celtics, but we weren’t sure where he would end up.
But after multiple sources spoke with ESPN, we learned that Allen might be taking his talents to South Beach.
ESPN.com Heat Index reporter Brian Windhorst was told that there is mutual interest between Allen and the Miami Heat. Allen made $10 million last season, so it would be up to the Heat to afford to add the sharpshooter.
According to Windhorst, the most the Heat can offer Allen is a contract starting at $3 million per year, the taxpayer’s midlevel. Clearly Allen will be offered more money elsewhere, so it is up to him whether or not he wants to go for the money or another run at a championship.
Miami has much bigger issues in their future while their payroll is expanding without even adding more players.
According to ESPN, this season the Heat will have to pay about $7 million in luxury tax. They would have the third-highest payroll in the league next year at about $80 million, even before signing a free agent. That will cost them $10 million in tax in 2013. In the '13-14 season, when the new enhanced tax takes effect and the Heat already have in excess of $80 million committed, they are looking at a potential luxury-tax bill between $15-20 million, again, without signing any free agents this summer.
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