Team USA Basketball

The New York Knicks' Julius Randle and Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown have been added to USA Basketball's training camp roster ahead of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

This comes after Houston Rockets guards James Harden and Eric Gordon, Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, Portland Trail Blazers guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris and New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson all pulled out of consideration.

Randle is coming off his best season, which saw the 2014 seventh overall pick average a career-high 21.4 points per game during his only year in New Orleans. That breakout campaign in part allowed him to sign a three-year, $63 million deal with the New York Knicks this summer.

The 6'9", 250-pound forward has some international experience, though he has not suited up for the senior team during a major tournament. He helped the United States win gold at the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and was a member of the Select Team ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Meanwhile, Brown is coming off another solid season in Boston. He averaged 13.0 points on 46.5 percent shooting while adding 4.2 rebounds per game in 2018-19. He is a career 36.5 percent shooter from beyond the arc.

Like Randle, Brown represented his country as a teenager. He was a member of the United States' gold-medal-winning squad at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in 2014.

While a number of stars have bowed out, there is still plenty of talent available.

"We are blessed with a lot of talent, a lot of talent in the NBA," Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo told The Athletic's Joe Vardon. "There is no panic. It may be more challenging, but we will be able to field a very competitive team. We've had players call us who want to be on our list."

Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell is among those who remain committed to Team USA, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The United States has won each of the last two FIBA World Cups, in 2010 and 2014. The 2019 FIBA World Cup will be held in China from Aug. 31 to Sept. 15.

USA Basketball's star power is rapidly fading with CJ McCollum reportedly becoming the latest player to pass on playing for the team this summer.

Per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, the Portland Trail Blazers star has withdrawn from Team USA training camp next month and the FIBA World Cup that will begin Aug. 31.

The initial list of 20 players invited to attend the training camp included many NBA All-Stars, including McCollum, James Harden, Kyle Lowry and Anthony Davis.

McCollum, Harden and Davis have since withdrawn from consideration so they can focus on the 2019-20 NBA season. Harden told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle on Friday he was withdrawing to focus on working with new Houston Rockets teammate Russell Westbrook. Davis is getting acclimated to a new team after being traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Lowry is hoping to be ready for training camp and the World Cup after having thumb surgery.

USA Basketball still figures to have a loaded talent pool to choose from with Bradley Beal, Tobias Harris, Kyle Kuzma, Damian Lillard, Kevin Love, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and PJ Tucker among the players invited to camp.

McCollum received his first invitation to the USA Basketball team pool in 2018. The 27-year-old averaged 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 70 games and helped the Blazers reach the Western Conference Finals last season.

USA Basketball continued building its provisional squad for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, with Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard headlining the group of recent additions to the training camp roster.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Eric Gordon, Kyle Kuzma, Brook Lopez, Kevin Love, CJ McCollum and Jayson Tatum will compete for roster spots as well.

The New York Times' Marc Stein reported last Saturday that Kemba Walker already committed to play for the United States and that USA Basketball received "strong indications" from Anthony Davis he'd suit up for the World Cup. Stein added James Harden is likely to play for Team USA.

Lillard is notable because he was a finalist for the 2014 World Cup team and the 2016 Summer Olympics roster but wasn't on either squad.

He averaged 25.8 points per game and a career-high 6.9 assists while shooting 36.9 percent on three-pointers in 2018-19. The Portland Trail Blazers star also hit one of the biggest shots of the playoffs when he eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.

BR Video

He should finally have his chance to compete for international gold.

One prominent star has already ruled himself out for the World Cup. According to The Athletic's Joe Vardon, LeBron James is taking the summer off from international basketball and left open the possibility of a return to Team USA for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

This will be the first major event for head coach Gregg Popovich since he succeeded Mike Krzyzewski after the 2016 Summer Olympics. Jeff Van Gundy was in charge of the squad that won the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup.

Although Popovich has no shortage of talent at his disposal, putting a full roster together is more than just picking the best players. Wojnarowski reported PJ Tucker and Paul Millsap might be targets for Popovich.

The World Cup tips off Aug. 31 in China, with the United States playing Czech Republic in its first game Sept. 1. Training camp for Team USA begins Aug. 5, and the team has four pre-tournament exhibitions.

USA Basketball is targeting Houston Rockets guard James Harden and New Orleans Pelicans center Anthony Davis for this summer's FIBA World Cup, according to the New York Times' Marc Stein.

Per Stein, there have been "strong indications" that Davis wants to play in the tournament. Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker—who is scheduled to be a free agent this summer—has already reportedly committed to the team.

Stein added that former Duke star and projected No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson is also on Team USA's radar. Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell is also a name to keep an eye on, Stein noted.

Harden previously suited up for Team USA at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, winning the gold medal in both events. He averaged a team-high 14.2 points on 53.2 percent shooting (42.9 percent from three-point range) while playing 22 minutes per game in nine World Cup contests.

His NBA career has blossomed even more since the 2014 World Cup. Not only has his string of consecutive All-Star appearances reached seven, but he has also added the 2017-18 NBA MVP award while being named first team All-NBA five times.

Harden led the NBA in scoring for the second consecutive season in 2018-19, averaging a career-high 36.1 points per game.

Meanwhile, Davis was a teammate of Harden's in both the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup. He averaged 12.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 19.7 minutes per game in nine appearances during the World Cup.

He has been voted first-team All-NBA three times since his World Cup experience with Team USA.

It's not clear if Davis' uncertain future in New Orleans will have any impact on his decision. The 2012 No. 1 overall pick publicly requested a trade from the Pelicans in January, but the team opted not to move him prior to the Feb. 7 trade deadline. He figures to be at the center of attention this summer as he can be a free agent following the 2019-20 season if he declines his $28.8 million player option. 

The 2019 FIBA World Cup will be played in China from Aug. 31 to Sept. 15. According to Stein, USA Basketball's training camp will be held in early August.