LeBron James visited Ray Allen in Miami to recruit him to the Cavaliers

Right now the award for GM of the Year could either go to either Dave Griffin or LeBron James, depending on who is more responsible for the Cleveland Cavalier front office moves.¹ ESPN’s Dave McMenamin has reported that the Cavaliers forward  met with former teammate and currently retired shooting guard Ray Allen during James’ recent break from basketball to recover from knee and back pain to recruit Allen to join the Cavaliers.

While the principal reason LeBron James visited Miami during his recent two-week rest period was to seek out warmer weather while he rehabbed strains to his left knee and lower back, he also had another item on his agenda.

During James’ Miami jaunt, the four-time MVP met with free agent guard and former Miami Heat teammate Ray Allen in order to try and appeal to the league’s all-time leader in 3-pointers again about joining the Cavs this season, multiple sources told ESPN.com.

ESPN’s Ryen Rusillo previously reported that Ray Allen confided in teams to reach out to him in January, and that he would make his decision whether to return and to whom in February.² Allen and James were teammates during much of James’ stint for the Miami Heat. James’ current teammates Mike Miller and James Jones have also been in contact with Allen, along with Cavaliers associate head coach Tyronn Lue.

Obviously, the addition of the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers would be a welcome sight. Recent Cavalier additions J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov have proven to be valuable additions already in short time, and both have been prominent parts in the Cavs’ four-game winning streak, which continued Wednesday night with a 106-92 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz.

1. OK, OK: Memphis’ Chris Wallace and Atlanta’s Danny Ferry may be in the discussion as well. [↩]
2. These guys are really serious about these shorter seasons. [↩]