Bradley Beal withdraws from FIBA team, clearing path for Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum

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Paternity leave could be a deciding factor in whether or not Boston's Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker will represent America in the upcoming 2019 FIBA World Cup. 

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports, Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal has withdrawn from Team USA because of the birth of his child, who is due in the coming months.

This news comes days after both James Harden and Anthony Davis withdrew from the team to acclimate themselves with their new superstar teammates — Russell Westbrook and LeBron James, respectively. CJ McCollum and Eric Gordon have also pulled out. Now, Walker and Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard are the only two All-NBA players left on the roster. 

As for Tatum, one less guard means more of a chance to make the team. There are now 15 players fighting for 12 official spots for the tournament that begins on August 31. The updated current roster, as of Monday afternoon, is below: 

Guards: 
Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors

Wings: 
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings
P.J. Tucker, Houston Rockets

Bigs: 
Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers
Kyle Kuzma, Los Angeles Lakers
Paul Millsap, Denver Nuggets
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks

Again, three of those players will not make the final roster, but the Celtics and the Bucks are the only two teams that can potentially send two players to China. Walker should be a lock to make the team, but Tatum will likely have to beat out Brook Lopez, Kyle Kuzma, P.J. Tucker, Harrison Barnes and Kyle Lowry for one of the last spots and the opportunity to play under Coach Gregg Popovich for a month. 

Update: July 22, 2:30 p.m.

There's one other Celtics player that might be looking at the USA roster and shaking his head: Jaylen Brown. Brown who's entering his fourth season in Boston, wasn't invited to Team USA or the Select Team, but head of USA Basketball Jerry Colangelo said Brown is definitely on the program's radar, according to The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn

“We didn’t think, as far as the Select Team, we didn’t think that would be appropriate,” Colangelo said of Brown. “This is his third year coming up. It’s basically for first-year guys and maybe a couple of second-year guys. At least that’s in theory what it is. I’m looking at the number of people we had at the position. That’s the only thing. It has nothing to do with talent. I like him. I think he’s a heck of a player.

“First of all, we don’t even know what’s going to happen for sure. Are we going to have more fallout? Are we going to have more people who are not going to be there? He could always be. He’s on a short list, let me put it that way.”

If Colangelo said that last week, before Beal, McCollum and Gordon withdrew from the team, should Jaylen Brown be expecting an invitation? Perhaps...

“You’ve just got to go about your business and, if the phone rings, be ready to go,” Colangelo said. “But we have a lot of respect for him as a player. It didn’t fit this time, that’s all.”

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