Wizards reach out to Ray Allen, according to report

The Wizards have an open roster spot we figured they wouldn't use in order to maintain flexibility for an in-season trade or injury. That said, they've apparently reached out to a surprising big-name free agent to gauge his interest on taking the spot: Ray Allen.

Via CSN Washington's J Michael:

The team contacted the 39-year-old shooting guard early in the free agent process to gauge his interest in signing, CSNwashington.com has confirmed with two people with knowledge of the situation Tuesday.

Michael suggests the Wizards are a "long shot," which ... yeah, they are. Allen is also being pursued by the Cavaliers and Clippers, both of whom are closer to championship contention (probably) and have personal connections to Allen (LeBron James for Cleveland, Doc Rivers for the Clippers). The Wizards only have the veteran's minimum to offer, so they lack a key tool to convince Allen to choose them over other preferable spots. It's also not clear that Allen even wants to play this season.

But the Wizards have Paul Pierce, Allen's running mate in Boston, and Ernie Grunfeld was Allen's GM in Milwaukee, so ... hey, it's worth a shot. If they can pull it off, it's absolutely worth doing. Allen can still play and his meticulous preparation will be a great example to John Wall and Bradley Beal.

I just wouldn't get your hopes up.