UPDATE: Mere hours after Shams Charania reported Chris Paul would join Suns teammate Devin Booker on Team USA this summer, Adrian Wojnarowski brought word that he would not be playing and had declined an invitation.
Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul has declined an invitation to play for Team USA in the Summer Olympics, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2021
Instead of Paul, Jrue Holiday will take what one would assume to be the final guard spot, with the roster seemingly needing one more big to be rounded out.
Milwaukee guard Jrue Holiday has committed to play for Team USA in the Summer Olympics, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2021
Original Story: Entering this summer there was plenty of concern about whether USA Basketball would be able to field the caliber of men’s roster for the Olympics they are accustomed to as the team looks to win a fourth straight gold medal. With the condensed NBA season clearly wearing down players and leading to a number of injured stars this postseason, there were many who expected top stars to pass on the opportunity to play in Tokyo.
That has been the case for some, most notably LeBron James, but the reported commitments from stars continue to roll in. Entering Tuesday, eight players had committed to Team USA, headlined by Kevin Durant and James Harden, the latter of whom was a particularly big surprise given he’s currently battling a hamstring injury. Three more commitment reports rolled in on Tuesday, with Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski bringing word that Khris Middleton, Kevin Love, and Chris Paul all plan on joining USA Basketball’s 12-man roster in Tokyo.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton has committed to joining Team USA's 12-man roster for the Summer Olympics, @excelbasketball agent Mike Lindeman tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2021
Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center Kevin Love has committed to joining Team USA's 12-man roster for the Summer Olympics, @excelbasketball agent Jeff Schwartz tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2021
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1407369978010030083
Those three bring the roster to 11 players, meaning there is one more roster spot available, should this indeed be the roster:
Damian Lillard
Draymond Green
Jayson Tatum
Bradley Beal
Devin Booker
Kevin Durant
James Harden
Bam Adebayo
Kevin Love
Khris Middleton
Chris Paul Jrue Holiday
One would think the final roster spot would go to a big with just three on the roster in Adebayo, Green, and Love, but it’s possible Gregg Popovich will be happy to add another superstar wing and try to dominate in Tokyo playing mostly small ball. Zion Williamson remains a strong possibility if they can get his commitment, particularly given the rest of the center options left in the player pool (Brook Lopez, Myles Turner, Christian Wood, Mitchell Robinson, DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard, Andre Drummond, Montrezl Harrell, JaVale McGee, and Mason Plumlee).
In any case, concerns that stars wouldn’t join the USA Basketball men’s roster have been fully alleviated and with this roster plus whoever is the last addition, Team USA will again be the favorite to take home gold.
