Clippers deny role in Kawhi Leonard withdrawing from Team USA

The Clippers have categorically denied a role in their star forward, Kawhi Leonard, being removed from the Team USA roster for the Paris Olympics.

On July 10, USA Basketball (USAB) said via a statement that Leonard "felt ready to compete" in Paris but "USA Basketball and the Clippers determined it's in his best interest to spend the remainder of the summer preparing for the upcoming season rather than participating in the Olympic Games in Paris."

The statement's wording suggested USAB and the Clippers made the joint call on pulling the former two-time NBA Finals MVP from the 12-man roster bound for Paris. However, Clippers front-office head Lawrence Frank said during the Summer League on Monday that it was USAB's decision and theirs alone.

"It was USAB's call, and I was, quite frankly, very disappointed with the decision," Frank told reporters, via Sports Illustrated's Joey Lynn. "Kawhi wanted to play. We wanted him to play. I was there for the first two practices. He looked very good. He was a full partcipant in everything they did. I wasn't there for the third practice, where ultimately they decided to go in a different direction."

Frank revealed that he pleaded with USAB to "give Kawhi more time" in practice sessions before it axed him from the roster. Leonard missed the final eight regular-season games last season with knee inflammation and did not look right in the few games he played against the Mavericks in the playoffs. As such, his health could have influenced USAB's decision to omit him from the roster.   

Leonard was replaced by Celtics guard Derrick White in a Team USA roster trying to win its fifth consecutive gold medal. The Paris Olympics campaign kicks off against Nikola Jokic's Serbia on July 28.