NBA Rumors: Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown both ‘honored to even be under consideration' for Team USA

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With star player after star player withdrawing their names from Team USA's FIBA World Cup roster, two Celtics are reportedly honored to even be under consideration. 

According to The Athletic's Joe Vardon, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown were on a 'short list' of players under consideration to replace the growing number of withdrawing stars, and Smart has already been added to the training camp roster, per Shams Charania

Smart will join fellow teammates Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum on the roster, and if Brown eventually gets an invite, the Celtics could have a third of the final roster representing the franchise. A final roster spot isn't guaranteed for any of them -- though Walker and Tatum have to be near locks at this point -- but it could be a good opportunity for four of Boston's key players to get acclimated to each other before training camp starts in September. 

Smart then tweeted his appreciation for the opportunity he has this summer.

Here's an updated roster at the roster:

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

Wings: 
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
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

Out of the 15 players on this list, 12 will make the trip to China to play in the World Cup.

It'd be surprising to see Damian Lillard and Kyle Lowry opt to play. Lillard due to the load he carries on a year-to-year basis in Portland, and Lowry because he's getting up there in age and next season is a contract year for him. Kevin Love could be another player to back out due to his injury problems last year as well. 

The summer is a time for NBA players to rest up and prepare for the coming 82-game grind. While it's probably in the best interest for older players to get more rest, younger players are working out most days already. They might as well put their energy into game action that can help their development. 

As the roster continues to take shape before the start of training camp at the beginning of August, the FIBA World Cup may very well be must-watch TV for Celtics fans hoping to get a sneak-peak at their team's core group of players. 

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