The Washington Wizards recently waived Glen Rice Jr., creating an open roster spot for a player they reportedly covet – Ray Allen.

Allen has supposedly expressed interest in returning to the hardwood, and teams are clamoring for him. With hopes of convincing him to join the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James recently met with Allen. Still, even with all the interest, the Washington Wizards are pursuing Allen aggressively–according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders:

Just about every playoff team in the NBA has contacted Ray Allen’s camp to see if he’d be interested in signing with them, but the most persistent squad has been the Washington Wizards. League sources say that the Wizards have been checking in constantly to see what Allen is thinking or if he’s any closer to a decision.

While it may seem unrealistic for the Wizards to land Ray Allen, I don’t think most people thought Paul Pierce would be in the nation’s capital this season.

The Wizards are currently sitting in the second spot in the Eastern Conference and are on pace to win over 50 games. John Wall will be the starting point guard for the East All-Star team, Bradley Beal has shown flashes of what he could become, and of course, re-uniting with Pierce would all benefit Allen.

At 39 years-old, I’m not sure how much Ray Allen could contribute at this point.

Although his outside shooting will almost certainly be a good addition, Allen’s locker room presence would be even more meaningful for the Wizards. Beal has often been compared to Allen, and who better to learn from than the man himself? Pierce has already made a tremendous difference, and adding another future Hall-of-Famer would certainly help the team gain more confidence going forward to the NBA Playoffs.

However, while the Wizards are the most aggressive team in the Ray Allen pursuit, there are a number of other teams that could use his services.

Allen already has a connection with LeBron James from his days with the Miami HEAT, and the Cleveland Cavaliers could use more depth at the shooting guard position.

Allen will likely want to close out games, and he’d get the opportunity to play over J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert in late-game situations.

The Golden State Warriors, who are currently the best team in basketball, are also interested in Ray Allen.

Leandro Barbosa and Justin Holiday have played the backup shooting guard position for most of the season in Golden State, so Allen would obviously be an upgrade. With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson already dominating from distance, it would be unbelievable to see Allen share the court along side their young back court.

The Wizards had several opportunities to fill their final roster spot, but they’re clearly waiting to see if Ray Allen will join them in the nation’s capital.

He’s not the combo-guard or the rim protector the Wizards need, but he is a future Hall-of-Famer. And when you get the chance to add a future Hall-of-Famer, you have to do whatever it takes to get him on the roster. It appears the Washington Wizards are doing just that.