Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love are expected to make their decision soon on whether or not they'll suit up for Team USA for the FIBA World Cup.
"Sources told The Athletic that Damian Lillard and Kevin Love were on the fence and expected to make their intentions known in the next few days." https://t.co/z893bnb5lT
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) July 22, 2019
Their decisions may make or break Team USA's chances at defending their title at the FIBA World Cup in China from August 31 to September 15, 2019. After all, several elite-level stars have already pulled out, including James Harden, Bradley Beal, Tobias Harris and Zion Williamson. Some cited personal reasons while most of them wanted to focus on the upcoming NBA season.
As of this writing, only Kemba Walker, Donovan Mitchell, Kyle Lowry, Khris Middleton, Jayson Tatum, Harrison Barnes, P.J. Tucker, Andre Drummond, Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma, and Paul Millsap are certain to be on Team USA’s minicamp this August.
USA basketball has already named a number of replacements, including Boston Celtics Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown. Brooklyn Nets swingman Joe Harris was also given a training camp invite roughly a month ahead of the quadrennial affair.
Team USA has a deep talent pool, but having Damian Lillard and Kevin Love will certainly be a welcome boost for them. Besides, while they are expected to cruise through the group stage, they could face other powerhhouse teams like Spain, France, Serbia and Argentina.