Team USA gains Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, four others for FIBA World Cup, loses Paul Millsap
With so many players dropping off Team USA, it seemed like there was no one left who wanted to play in the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
But that’s not true. USA Basketball announced on Thursday that it has added six NBA players to the Team USA training roster for the World Cup. And they are definitely guys you’ve heard of!
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Montrezl Harrell, Los Angeles Clippers
Mason Plumlee, Denver Nuggets
Julius Randle, New York Knicks
Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
Thaddeus Young, Chicago Bulls
And Team USA isn’t done adding. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, JJ Redick has been extended an invitation to join the team for the World Cup and is still considering it.
JJ Redick has an invitation to join USA Basketball's depleted roster for the FIBA World Cup. "I'm thrilled beyond belief to be considered but also trying to work through our family's transition to New Orleans," he tells ESPN. He expects to have an answer for USA officials soon.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 25, 2019
In a way, it would be a bigger win for Redick to turn down the invitation before joining the team than drop out after he’d made the commitment, especially considering what’s happened to Team USA’s roster lately.
In recent weeks, news of players withdrawing from Team USA seemed to pop up every single day. James Harden, Tobias Harris, Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal and Zion Williamson are just a few of the big-name, big-talent players to withdraw. Some did it to get ready for the upcoming NBA season, and others did it for personal reasons (Beal is preparing for the birth of his child).
But even with six (and possibly seven) new players added, the losses aren’t over. USA Basketball also announced that Paul Millsap of the Denver Nuggets is withdrawing. Hopefully he’ll be the last one for a while.
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