Looking to build around superstar Paul Pierce, the Boston Celtics traded for big man Kevin Garnett and three-point shooter Ray Allen in the 2007 offseason, forming a new 'Big Three'.
The result? These three guided Boston to the NBA Championship in 2008, defeating their historic rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. Allen wound up spending five years with the Celtics, where he would be named to three All-Star Games, while helping them reach the 2010 NBA Finals (they'd fall to the Lakers in seven games).
However, Allen became public enemy No. 1 in Boston during the 2012 offseason, when he rejected an extension from the team and signed with the rival Miami Heat, led by LeBron James. Allen helped the Heat win the 2013 NBA Championship, then played one more year for them before eventually retiring.
And because of the decision to ditch the Celtics for South Beach, Allen admitted in an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic that his relationship remains sour with the 2007-08 Boston teammates. Because of this, he doesn't expect them to congratulate him for his Hall of Fame induction.
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"I talked to Paul a year ago today, and we patched it out. So much was made about my decision, and they were upset with me because I left for Miami,"Allen said. "But it will never change what went on between us in 2008."
Allen specified that he doesn't expect to receive messages from Garnett or former star point guard Rajon Rondo. He's simply learning the hard business of sports, and how one decision can simply help his teammates ignore what they accomplished together.
In his five years with Boston, Allen averaged 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, while shooting an impressive .409 from three-point range. And even though Allen was instrumental in helping Boston win their first NBA championship in 21 years, it simply isn't enough to get his former teammates to bury the hatchet.
Allen's decision to leave Boston helped change the landscape in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics 'Big Three' era was over, and Pierce and Garnett traded to the Brooklyn Nets a year later.
There's no telling if Boston would have squeaked out one more championship run if Allen decided to stay around. Either way, there's no changing the past, and Allen has to be happy about what he's accomplished nonetheless.