Report: Allen left C's despite no-trade

The Celtics tried nearly everything to keep Ray Allen from leaving via free agency, including offering him a no-trade clause, according to a report by ESPNBoston [1].

In the report, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Thursday he included the clause in addition to offering Allen a two-year deal worth $12 million. That turned out to be twice as much annually as Miami offered. Allen accepted a three-year deal worth $3 million per season.

Ainge acknowledged Thursday his awareness of Allen's frustration at trade rumors during his time in Boston.

"I knew the [rumors] had been weighing on him," Ainge told ESPN's Jackie MacMullan.

When Allen decided to accept the Heat's offer, he called Ainge and sent a text to Kevin Garnett.

"Two years ago when I was a free agent, the whole organization sent me a text asking me to come back," Allen told MacMullan. "This time it was a little more subdued."

Also apparent in the report was a strained relationship between Allen and coach Doc Rivers. 

While Paul Pierce and Garnett texted their support and Ainge initiated the dialogue at the stroke of midnight, Rivers remained silent. 

"Doc never called and said, 'We want you to come back,'" Allen said. "I can't say I expected him to do that. It's hard to say what the protocol is in those situations."

For more, visit the Celtics team page at weei.com/celtics [2] and the Green Street [3] blog.