Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and DeMarcus Cousins still want to play in the Olympics.
Another player eager to join Team USA? Jimmy Butler.
Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago:
Bulls guard Jimmy Butler still has strong desire to play in Olympic Games in Rio. Hasn’t changed mind with the players who’ve pulled out
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) June 6, 2016
Butler would be a good fit.
From his perspective, he’s just 26, has four years remaining on his contract and would be relatively fresh after missing the playoffs.
From USA Basketball’s perspective, he’s a star two-way wing when there are precious few of those. If the Americans want to play small and slide a traditional small forward to power forward – a seemingly smart strategy in international play – they need to stack the roster with wings. There’d be plenty of opportunities for someone like Butler, who can play shooting guard and small forward.