Predicting rosters for potential Team USA vs. Team International All-Star Game

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has floated the possibility of next year's All-Star game pitting the best talents from the United States against the rest of the world. 

If the proposed Team USA vs. Team International format comes to fruition, it would surely be a fun exercise for fans to make their selections when asked to cast their votes. Here, we try to get an early reading on what the opposing 12-man rosters might look like.

For Team USA, the obvious locks would be LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton and Devin Booker.

That leaves four spots. If going by the 2024 roster, Damian Lillard, Bam Adebayo, Paolo Banchero and Donovan Mitchell could fill out the team. Others warranting consideration include Anthony Davis, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Zion Williamson, Jalen Brunson and Kawhi Leonard.

For Team International, the obvious locks would be Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Doncic (Slovenia), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania), Victor Wembanyama (France), Karl-Anthony Towns (Dominican Republic) and Jamal Murray (Canada).

That leaves four spots. Those could be filled out by Lauri Markkanen (Finland), Alperen Sengun (Turkey), Pascal Siakam (Cameroon) and Rudy Gobert (France). Others deserving of consideration include Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia), Franz Wagner (Germany) and R.J. Barrett (Canada).

Embiid is one of the few players eligible for both teams. However, after his recent decision to represent Team USA over Cameroon or France in the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Sixers center is likely to go the same route in the NBA.

Towns similarly decided to represent his native Dominican Republic over the United States at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. 

Will the proposed format change bring back a semblance of competition to the All-Star game? One thing is for certain: a lot of American players who already struggle to make the team due to intense competition (De'Aaron Fox, for example) will face an even steeper task to be a part of the annual festivities. On the flip side, some of the unheralded global players stand to benefit from the change.