Ray Allen may not have played at all last season after becoming comfortable with his lifestyle in Miami, but he is leaving the door open a crack to possibly return next year. Where would that be exactly? Based on his recent comments, you would think that he was referring to either the Cleveland Cavaliers or Golden State Warriors. There would be fewer minutes available for Allen in Golden State, but he could also turn them into the most lethal shooting team in NBA history. Allen told the Hartford Courant on Saturday:

“I haven’t said anything about that and I won’t officially retire. Because if something came to the table, contractually and situationally, I want to be able to take a strong look at it. I don’t want to be that guy that says he’s retiring and then is coming back. I didn’t miss it. I realized how much time I missed not being home with my kids. I probably missed it in the Finals. Watching Cleveland and Golden State play, it just seemed like an epic battle that required a lot of precision on the floor and that’s when I felt, that was probably the only time that I felt like, ‘Man, I should have been out there.’”

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Imagining him with the Cavs is quite a fun exercise. LeBron James would definitely not complain about having a reliable three-point shooter by his side, and J.R. Smith might find minutes hard to come by if Allen comes aboard. Of course, the Cavaliers still have to re-sign Smith and Tristan Thompson, but owner Dan Gilbert will eventually write those checks.

The man that Spike Lee hired to play “Jesus Shuttlesworth” seems more interested in spending time with his family at this point, but no one should rule out Allen returning after Christmas passes. He probably doesn’t want to be involved with the grind of training camp or preseason games if his intention is to return this season, and there will be many teams still trying to sign him even after the All-Star break.

Allen will continue to hear from other franchises until he retires, but he appears to have little problem saying no when approached. If he is fine with that, then he probably never has to retire. LeBron will certainly keep calling Allen, because James remembers Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals.

Dave Daniels is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.