With Kawhi Leonard withdrawing from participating with Team USA in the Olympics, conversations sparked as to who should fill the final roster spot. Various members of the USA Basketball Select Team, including Cooper Flagg, were viewed as potential candidates to replace Leonard.

But it was Boston Celtics guard Derrick White who got the nod over Jaylen Brown from Grant Hill and those operating this roster behind the scenes. After recently claiming his first championship alongside Tatum and White as well as being named the 2024 Finals MVP, Brown obviously felt a certain type of way for his exclusion from this year's national team roster.

Since Leonard's decision was reported and White was named the replacement, Brown has been very cryptic on social media, with a variety of posts insinuating that he should have been selected. Not only did he post something featuring three thinking emojis, but Brown also went as far as calling out Nike for the decision.

At USA Basketball training camp, Tatum was asked if he had spoken with Brown, to which the five-time All-Star left media members scratching their heads as to whether there was a deeper meaning to what had occurred.

“Ah, no,” Tatum said when questioned about any recent contact with Brown. “I mean, there's so many guys that could, you know, take that last spot or whatever. So yeah, it is.”

Overall, Tatum's response was pretty natural given the circumstances of Brown being left off the Team USA roster simply because the Celtics star had nothing to do with his teammate not being selected. This was a decision Tatum had no input in, which is why he appeared to struggle with answering these questions.

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As far as Brown being left off the Team USA roster, it is clear that the Finals MVP is upset about his exclusion from this summer's festivities. Brown has been active on social media with his mysterious posts, and on Thursday, he added to the eyebrow-raising drama by saying, “I'm not afraid of you or your resources,” in his latest remarks.

No matter how Brown feels, nothing he says will change the decision USA Basketball has made. Leonard will not be participating in the Olympics, and as a result, White will replace him due to his two-way nature of play on the perimeter.

While Jaylen Brown may be the better overall basketball player, White's set of skills make him a very unique player for international basketball, which has different rules and a slightly different style of play.

Due to Team USA already having an abundance of scorers on the roster, it made a lot more sense to add a player like White, who can help fill in gaps in their quest for a gold medal instead of a pure scorer like Brown.

Whether or not this decision and Brown's comments on social media impact the Celtics heading into the 2024-25 season is yet to be seen.