Trae Young 'Hurt' Not Being Named to Preliminary Team USA Olympic Roster

USA Basketball announced 44 finalists in the running to make the 2020 Tokyo Olympics roster, and Atlanta Hawks second-year point guard Trae Young was not on the list.  

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt by seeing it," Young said Monday, per Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "Obviously I would have wanted to play on the team."

The 2018 fifth overall pick was not a poor sport about it, however, as he posted a congratulatory tweet to his peers who were named finalists:

The finalists are headlined by two-time Olympic gold medalists LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

Young joined Durant and James as the only players in NBA history to notch at least 10 40-point games before turning 22 years old, per SportsCenter, after posting 48 points and 13 assists in the Hawks' 140-135 double-overtime win over the New York Knicks Sunday.

The 21-year-old is the league's fourth-best scorer at 29.7 points per game. James Harden (35.2), Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.0) and Damian Lillard (29.9) are the players ahead of Young. Harden and Lillard were named as Olympic roster finalists, and Antetokounmpo is Greek. 

The New York Times' Marc Stein relayed that USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo disclosed last month the final 12-player roster will be announced in June prior to the NBA playoffs' conclusion. 

Stein added: "The big takeaway: Today's roster doesn't mean LeBron and Kawhi and the stars dealing with major injuries (Curry, Durant and Klay) are definitely going to the Olympics ... but it means they have all volunteered to some degree with four-ish months to go until the roster is set."

Notable omissions alongside Young are New Orleans Pelicans rookie No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson and Memphis Grizzlies rookie second overall pick Ja Morant as well as Young's Hawks teammate John Collins. 

USA Basketball was snubbed by several NBA stars such as Harden, Lillard, Anthony Davis, CJ McCollum, JJ Redick and others for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. The team went on to finish seventh after losing to France in the quarterfinals. 

The U.S. are three-time defending Olympic gold medalists.