San Antonio Spurs shooting guard DeMar DeRozan and Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard are the latest players who have withdrawn from Team USA. They will not play a part in the training camp, which starts Aug. 5 in Las Vegas, and will not represent their country at the FIBA World Cup in China later this summer.
Trail Blazers All-NBA star Damian Lillard has withdrawn from Team USA’s training camp and FIBA World Cup play this summer, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 23, 2019
Sources: San Antonio Spurs‘ DeMar DeRozan was added onto the original USA Basketball roster for World Cup one month ago, but the four-time All-Star has withdrawn from Team USA play this summer to focus on upcoming NBA season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 23, 2019
Is not unusual to have a massive amount of withdrawals for World Cup tournaments as numerous players decided to skip it in the past few years. Team USA squads have been drastically different when we compare Olympics with World Cups.
Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo and head coach Gregg Popovich have 13 available players at the moment to work with in training camp in Las Vegas, but will undoubtedly invite more players to join the camp. Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown, Golden State Warriors’ D’Angelo Russell, and New York Knicks’ Julius Randle are among the players who will get an invitation to take the vacant spots. Only 12 players will make the final cut, but it’s always a possibility that some of them decide to withdraw, so Colangelo and Popovich will have to keep their options open.
This is the current Team USA after DeRozan’s and Lillard’s’ withdrawal. Guards: Kemba Walker, Kyle Lowry, and Donovan Mitchell. Forwards: Harrison Barnes, Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Love, Khris Middleton, Paul Millsap, Jayson Tatum, and P.J. Tucker. Centers: Andre Drummond, Brook Lopez, and Myles Turner.
