Shams said Los Angeles Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard has been left out of the U.S. national team ahead of the Olympics.
Kawhi Leonard has been pulled from the U.S. Olympic team for the Paris Olympics and will be replaced, a source tells me. Joe VardonBoston’s Derrick White is the leading candidate to replace Leonard on the U.S. team, sources said. pic.twitter.com/OlgwcDb012
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 10, 2024
Leonard and the Clippers decided that Leonard needed to rest up for next season, forcing Leonard to withdraw from the Olympic team. Leonard missed the Clippers’ final three playoff games of the season due to lingering knee inflammation, a drawback in a season in which the star forward played his most regular season games with the Clippers in a long time. With that in mind, the Clippers wanted Leonard to be 100% back by the time the season began, which meant Leonard leaving Team USA.
This will free up roster space for a number of players to have the chance to don the red, white and blue. According to Andscape’s Mark Spears, Derrick White, who played a key role in the Celtics’ championship, has been selected to replace Leonard on the U.S. team.
Celtics guard Derrick White will replace Kawhi Leonard with USA Basketball, sources said. @andscape.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 10, 2024
Leonard’s absence will hurt them on the perimeter, but White is a good defender and will contribute in that area without needing the ball as much. The U.S. team takes on Canada in the Basketball Showcase tonight at 9:30 PM ET on FS1.
