At least three players will be cut from the Team USA basketball roster as the FIBA World Cup approaches.
UPDATE: The first round of cuts are Bradley Beal and John Wall from the Washington Wizards, and Paul Millsap of the Atlanta Hawks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo, citing sources.
If that’s the case, here are the players left in the running:
Guards
Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
James Harden (Houston Rockets)
Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
Damian Lillard (Portland Trailblazers)
Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers)
DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors)
Forwards
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz)
Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks)
Chandler Parsons (Dallas Mavericks)
Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets)
Centers
Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings)
Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons)
Mason Plumlee (Brooklyn Nets)
---------------Original story below.
Team USA had 20 players as of the scrimmage on Friday night before losing Paul George to injury.
Battles for roster spots have been close, with a range of predictions on who will end up making it.
The 19 players eventually have to be whittled down to 12 for the final roster for the World Cup, which starts on August 30.
Training picks back up on August 13 in Chicago.
Officials with the team are are deliberating whether to carry 14, 15 or 16 players into their 10 remaining days of scheduled preparation on U.S. soil before the plane bound for Spain leaves Aug. 23, reported ESPN.
USAB chairman Jerry Colangelo must submit the official roster a day before the World Cup starts.
Kevin Durant, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Derrick Rose, and Stephen Curry are considered locks, while George’s injury leaves a gap. Kyle Korver is expected to be brought on as a shooter while the chances of players like Chandler Parsons, Klay Thompson, and Gordon Hayward making the squad increased with the injury.
Check out updated predictions for the final roster below and explanation for them here.
Here’s the updated roster predictions:
Guards:
Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
James Harden (Houston Rockets)
Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors)
John Wall (Washington Wizards)
Forwards
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets)
Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz)
Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks)
Centers
Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings)
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