USA Basketball picks 57 players for pool
USA Basketball is a step closer to choosing the team that will play in this summer’s rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, releasing the names Thursday of 57 players who are part of the pool to fill the squad.
Among the group: 16 players who have already won Olympic gold medals for the U.S., including three-time gold winner Lebron James and two-time gold medalists Kevin Durant and Chris Paul.
The other past gold medalists under consideration for spots this summer are Harrison Barnes, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Davis, Demar Derozan, Paul George, Draymond Green, James Harden, Dwight Howard, Kyrie Irving, Deandre Jordan, Kevin Love, Kyle Lowry and Russell Westbrook.
It’s also already drawing major interest from some NBA stars who have yet to taste Olympic gold. Kawhi Leonard said this week he intends to play if healthy this summer, and Stephen Curry has long said he would like the chance to compete in the Olympics. Curry has won a gold medal in a Basketball World Cup, but never been on the Olympic stage.
There will be no tryouts. USA Basketball will pare the list to a 12-person Olympic team by early summer. Those decisions will be made by a selection committee and based in part on player availability
and health. Training camp will start with player arrivals in Las Vegas on July 2 while the NBA playoffs are ongoing, and the Olympics start July 23. That’s just one day after the potential date of Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
The U.S. is scheduled to play as many as five games in Las Vegas before leaving for Tokyo on July 19. The Americans, who are seeking a fourth consecutive gold medal, open the Olympics against France on July 25.
James, if he chooses to play, could join Carmelo Anthony as the only men’s players to make four U.S. Olympic teams. He has said in recent months he will con
sider the opportunity, noting the lure of playing for U.S. coach Gregg Popovich is a factor.
“With the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics from 2020 to 2021, it’s important that we continue to remain flexible and consider all players who can contribute to our efforts to field the best USA team possible,” USA Basketball men’s national team managing director Jerry Colangelo said. “These additions we are announcing today will help ensure that we are doing that.”
Those additions, who were not part of the pool created in early 2020 in anticipation of an Olympics happening last summer, are: New Orleans’ Zion Williamson, Miami’s Duncan Robinson, Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen, Detroit’s Jerami Grant, Brooklyn’s Blake Griffin, Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday, Chicago’s Zach Lavine, New York’s Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson, Toronto’s Fred Vanvleet, Atlanta’s Trae Young and the Houston trio of Eric Gordon, John Wall and Christian Wood. Jordan, who now plays for Brooklyn, is also a newcomer to the pool even though he was on the 2016 Olympic team.
All 44 players that were announced as part of the original pool last year remain, with two exceptions: Golden State’s Klay Thompson, who is recovering from Achilles surgery, and Boston’s Marcus Smart, who has battled injuries as well throughout much of this season.
The players back from last year’s pool are: Bam Adebayo, Lamarcus Aldridge, Barnes, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Malcolm Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, Butler, Mike Conley, Curry, Davis, Derozan, Andre Drummond, Durant, George, Green, Harden, Montrezl Harrell, Joe Harris, Tobias Harris, Gordon Hayward, Howard, Brandon Ingram, Irving, James, Kyle Kuzma, Leonard, Damian Lillard, Brook Lopez, Love, Lowry, Javale Mcgee, Khris Middleton, Donovan Mitchell, Victor Oladipo, Paul, Mason Plumlee, Jayson Tatum, Myles Turner, Kemba Walker, Westbrook and Derrick White.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As the Chiefs look to get under the salary cap in the coming days, they anticipate using quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ contract for assistance, a source told The Kansas City Star.
Mahomes’ contract permits the Chiefs to convert portions of his salary and roster bonuses into a signing bonus, which would free up significant cap space. The Chiefs can create $17 million with the move, according to ESPN’S Adam Schefter.
The move has not yet happened but is anticipated to take place before the NFL’S new league year starts on March 17, a source said.
Teams must drop below the reduced salary cap of $182.5 million by that date. If the Chiefs free up $17 million, they would not only be cap compliant, they would offer themselves room to be active — though still not overly aggressive — in free agency, which starts in conjunction with the new league year next week.
Before any such conversion, the Chiefs sit about $4 million over the cap, according to Spotrac and Over The Cap.
Mahomes signed a 10-year contract extension last offseason worth up to $503 million. It’s not unusual for a high-priced contract to include language permitting the team to convert money to signing bonuses to create immediate cap space and divert money to future seasons.