With contract settled, Boban Marjanovic hopes to rejoin Serbian Olympic squad

With news that Aron Baynes and Michael Gbinije will be playing for their respective countries at the upcoming Rio Olympics, newcomer Boban Marjanovic hopes that he could be the third Piston representative at the Games.

During his introductory presser, the Serbian 7-footer discussed flying to Brazil to join his national team, but was unsure as to whether coach Sasha Djordjevic would be willing to let him rejoin the squad after his contract negotiations initially ruled him out of consideration. In an interview with Basket Info's Christophe Brouet dated from last month, Djordjevic lashed out (translated):

"I am angry with Boban Marjanovic. Over 20 days ago he told me he'd be playing for the national team this summer, and yesterday he said he wouldn't. I am speechless. Nikola Milutinov (his backup) has forfeited his spot on the team as well. He wants to play Summer League. There are things I just can't explain."

The official team list for the Serbian squad was announced on July 11, with Marjanovic not listed on the team sheet. In a separate piece, Brouet talked with Boban with how he felt about being left off of the squad (translated):

"I've talked on more than one occasion about my desire to wear the the jersey of the Serbian national team. There has never been any doubt about that. With all the obstacles I was faced with, I was unable to present myself to coach Djordjevic. If we're talking about how I'm feeling, of course, I wanted to play in the national squad at the Olympics, and help them achieve the best result possible. However, I do respect the decisions taken by the staff."

Despite not making the final roster, Boban did indicate during his presser that he would continue talking to the team's coach in a hope to join his fellow countrymen on the hardwood. Whilst there has been no indication as to whether or not he will be able to re-integrate the team, they have certainly moved on without him with three centers already on the depth chart, including Nikola Jokic and Miroslav Raduljica.

We will keep you updated if any new information comes to light.