Portland guard Damian Lillard and San Antonio guard DeMar DeRozan became the seventh and eighth players to withdraw from the Team USA roster ahead of this summer’s FIBA World Cup, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.
Philadelphia forward Tobias Harris and Washington guard Bradley Beal both pulled out on Monday, joining Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum and Houston guards James Harden and Eric Gordon.
Lillard, 29, made his fourth All-Star team in 2018-19 and averaged 25.8 points, a career-high 6.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game.
DeRozan, 29, is a four-time All-Star who averaged 21.2 points and set career highs in assists (6.2) and rebounds (6.0) in his first season with the Spurs in 2018-19.
The Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and the New York Knicks’ Julius Randle have been added to Team USA’s training camp roster, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo said Monday he isn’t overly concerned with the high-profile departures.
“History would indicate this is nothing new, this is part of our process,” Colangelo told reporters. “We’re blessed with a lot of talents, and we’re very deep. We’ll take the cards that we are dealt.”
Training camp begins Aug. 5 in Las Vegas, and the official 12-man roster is slated to be announced on Aug. 17. The competition runs from Aug. 31-Sept. 15, with Team USA playing its first game on Sept. 1 against the Czech Republic.
