Oshae Brissett could have played in the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Olympics with Team Canada, but he turned down the opportunity.
The reason why? Brissett, who spent this past season with the Boston Celtics, wanted to focus on his NBA free agency.
Team Canada revealed in a statement Wednesday that Brissett was released from the squad prior to training camp per his request to focus on his NBA career.
It’s a little bit of a head-scratching move by the 26-year-old forward, who might never get the chance to play in the Olympics again. But given the uncertainty as a free agent, he probably felt like he needed to secure his next NBA home above all else.
Brissett declined his $2.5 million player option soon after the Celtics put the finishing touches on winning the NBA title. There hasn’t been much news about Brissett since free agency opened Sunday, which might indicate his market might not be as robust as he thought. The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach reported Tuesday the “door is not fully closed” on Brissett returning to Boston.
Brissett is in search of a larger role after he regularly found himself on the outside of Boston’s regular rotation. The 6-foot-7, 210-pound forward played his fewest minutes per game since his rookie season. He did have a brief moment in the spotlight in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals when he played 12 minutes off the bench and contributed two points, three rebounds and three steals to finish with a plus-18 rating.
Brissett can bring energizing defense in a reserve role, but has a limited offensive game. He’s more of a slasher than a shooter, given his 27.3% he shot from 3-point range this past season.
The Celtics have basically brought back every member of the championship team at this point besides for Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk. They even re-signed Drew Peterson to a two-way contract Wednesday.
And while there could be an avenue back to Boston for Brissett, it looks like he’s determined for the time being to land elsewhere, even if it means giving up on the Olympics to do so.
