Oshae Brissett leaves Canadian Olympic team camp to focus on finding next NBA team

Syracuse, N.Y. — Former Syracuse forward Oshae Brissett has left Canada’s Olympic men’s basketball training camp to spend more time focusing on NBA free agency, Canada Basketball said Wednesday.

Brissett, who last month won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics, requested to withdraw from camp, the organization said.

Brissett reportedly opted out of his $2.5 million contract with the Celtics last week, becoming an unrestricted free agent. Brissett is expected to earn more in free agency, even if he were to return to Boston.

The decision to leave camp came three days before Brissett can officially sign with an NBA team on July 6 and a week before Team Canada heads to Las Vegas to face USA Basketball in an exhibition game on July 10 at T-Mobile Arena as part of the USA Basketball Showcase.

The Celtics have prioritized cornerstone pieces early in the offseason, signing star Jayson Tatum to an extension worth $314 million, the richest contract in NBA history, and signing Derrick White to an extension worth more than $125 million.

Brissett, 26, averaged 11.5 minutes off the bench in 55 games last season but was a smaller piece to the Celtics’ rotation than when he suited up for the Indiana Pacers from 2020-2023.

Brissett could decide to seek out a larger role with a new team or rejoin Boston as it attempts to repeat as NBA champions.

He is one of four former Syracuse players to win an NBA championship.

Brissett played two seasons at Syracuse before going undrafted in 2019 and signing a two-year deal with his hometown Toronto Raptors.

He was waived by the Raptors after his rookie year, but then found a role with the Pacers, appearing in more than 150 games for Indiana over three seasons. He signed a two-year contract with a player option to join the Celtics last summer.