On June 28, Beijing time, according to a report from TA reporter Joe Vardon, Cole said that the staff of the U.S. team have been in contact with Leonard, and they believe that Leonard will play with the U.S. team next week, but he does not rule out the possibility of Leonard withdrawing. Meanwhile, Clippers president Frank spoke about Leonard's health in an interview and also gave an answer that Leonard might withdraw from the Olympics.
"Like all of us, his primary concern is long-term health," Frank said in the interview. He won't do anything detrimental to his long-term health...... He wants to have a long career. Although Frank's remarks did not clearly state Leonard's plans for this summer, they also revealed the great possibility that Leonard would miss the Olympics.
According to the latest reports, there are no new structural injuries to Leonard's right knee, but the inflammation from multiple surgeries has been bothering him for weeks. He suffered a right knee injury before the start of this year's playoffs, which resulted in him missing the final eight games of the regular season, and his forced comeback in the playoffs was also very poor. According to the original plan, Leonard was selected for the U.S. Olympic squad, and Kerr also expressed confidence that he would participate in the U.S. men's basketball training camp. But at the same time, Cole also said that he did not rule out last-minute surprises.
Leonard just signed a three-year, $152 million contract extension with the Clippers this season, and his injury is clearly a concern, and missing the Olympics may be the best option. If Leonard withdraws from the Olympics, Derrick White, the previously highly-touted champion guard, could be selected. White previously played for the U.S. men's basketball team at the 2019 World Cup, but the U.S. men's basketball team had the worst record in history in that tournament. Previously, White also said in an interview that he would be very happy if he could be selected for the U.S. men's basketball team and win the gold medal.