Ray Allen to play next season

Ray Allen has told people close to him that he will play in the NBA next season instead of retiring, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

While the Cleveland Cavaliers are the frontrunner for Allen, the source said the 10-time All-Star has not completely decided where he will play. Cleveland is the favorite due to the return of LeBron James, with whom Allen played with on the Miami Heat the past two seasons.

Allen was a key bench contributor for the four-time reigning Eastern Conference champion Heat this past season, averaging 9.6 points while shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point range.

At 39 years old, Allen's goal is to win a third NBA championship so he will only consider playing for title contenders. It is not clear what other clubs are on Allen's radar, but nearly every contender would be interested in adding him to its roster.

Publicly, Allen maintains that he is still considering retirement. At the seventh annual Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Classic on Friday, he said he'll announce his decision in September.

"It's August and I don't want to rush to judgment," Allen said. "I want to get to September and see how I really feel."

Allen's agent, Jim Tanner, told Yahoo! Sports on Saturday that Allen has yet to make a decision on playing next season.

But privately, Allen has said he's playing next season.