Matthew Dellavedova to play for Australia’s 2019 World Cup team

Matthew Dellavedova will be representing his home country this summer.

As announced by the Basketball Australia, Dellavedova is one of eight NBA players on Australia’s initial 2019 World Cup squad. The roster is headlined by 76ers guard Ben Simmons, Jazz forward Joe Ingles and Spurs guard Patty Mills. Deng Adel, who was signed to the Cavs on a two-way deal last season, is also on the roster. The full roster is as follows:

• Deng Adel, Aron Baynes, Todd Blanchfield, Andrew Bogut, Jonah Bolden, Mitch Creek, Matthew Dellavedova, Cameron Gliddon, Chris Goulding, Joe Ingles, Nick Kay, Jock Langdale, Mitchell McCarron, Patty Mills, Brock Motum, Ben Simmons and Nathan Sobey

Notable absences from the roster are Thon Maker and Dante Exum.

Dellavedova suffered a concussion near the end of the last season and ultimately missed the last 17 games as a result. He returned to the Cavs as part of the deal that sent George Hill to the Bucks after signing with Milwaukee after the 2016 title win. In 36 games with Cleveland, averaged 7.3 points and 4.2 assists per game.

What lies ahead of Dellavedova with the Cavs remains to be seen. He’s heading into the last year of his contract and, despite being a fan favorite, could be flipped as part of Koby Altman’s desire to accumulate assets. He also could remain with the team, be a veteran leader in the locker room and come off the bench as a backup to Collin Sexton. Dellavedova also will need to be healthier than he was been the past few years, due to some foot injuries he suffered with the Bucks. But it’s a good sign to see that he’s healthy enough to play for his home country this summer in the lead-up to whatever comes next.

The Australians start World Cup play against the Canadians on Sept. 1 in Dongguan, China. The rest of their group is Senegal and Lithuania. In a lead-up to the tournament, they will play the Canadians twice and the United States twice in exhibition games in Australia.