Team USA’s FIBA World Cup training camp does not get underway until Aug. 5 but the withdrawals are coming thick and fast with numerous NBA stars pulling out as the days go by. Bradley Beal and Tobias Harris were the latest to pull out of the World Cup following in the footsteps of Anthony Davis, James Harden, Eric Gordon and CJ McCollum.

The final 12-man roster will only be confirmed on Aug. 17 but USA coach Gregg Popovich will need players to fill the roster for training camp and two more Boston Celtics players – Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown - are now being considered. Yahoo Sports’ Keith Smith reports that both players are “honored” to even be under consideration for a place in Team USA for the World Cup.

LeBron James Jaylen Brown
LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics in the first half during Game 5 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 23, 2018 in Boston. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Smart later confirmed that he had been included in the roster for the training camp joining two of his Celtics teammates, Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum, who are already part of the training roster and it will give the three players to get better acclimatized ahead of the new NBA season. The addition of Brown will be a further benefit for the Celtics as four of their key players will be training together.

Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo was not too concerned about the withdrawals and believes it is a process that they have accepted as it has happened before. Team USA reportedly has 12 new players for the 2010 World Cup and 11 new players for the 2014 World Cup in Spain.

"History would indicate this is nothing new, this is part of our process," Colangelo said, as quoted on ESPN. "We're blessed with a lot of talents and we're very deep. We'll take the cards that we are dealt."

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports that there are two main reasons top players have declined a chance to be part of the World Cup squad. The first is because the World Cup schedule was changed and it is now just one year before the Olympics, which required players to give up two consecutive summers. The second is due to the tournament ending very close to the start of NBA training camp.

RELATED STORIES
NBA