In the summer of 2010, with the notion he needed a new team with room for growth, Tony Allen started negotiating with Memphis.
The Celtics were surprised by how quickly their young defensive star began slipping away. Allen was in a Memphis hotel room, pondering a break from the city where he won an NBA title, and from the team that had stuck by him through some hard times early in his career.
Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, thinking he could make a difference, had left a message.
“Memphis had just made an offer and he returned my call, and I asked him to think about coming back to us,” Pagliuca said yesterday.