Grant Hill says he's willing to settle differences with Jaylen Brown: "He can be a candidate if he wants in 2028"

Jaylen Brown took exception after he was left out of the U.S. men's basketball team at the Paris Olympics. Coming off a championship season where he won Finals MVP honors, Brown felt that he had earned the right to be chosen as Kawhi Leonard's replacement. But instead of Brown, USAB picked his teammate Derrick White and a back-and-forth between him and USA Basketball executive director Grant Hill ensued.

Hill recently talked to Rachel Nichols about the topic, and according to him, it was challenging to put the team together, knowing there would be big names that got left out. However, Grant said he tried to do things right by giving those excluded from the Team USA roster the courtesy of knowing before the lineup was made public.

"When we first put out the roster," Hill said. "Before it was announced, I called certain guys. I called Paul George, I called Damian Lillard, I called Jaylen Brown. I felt like they were of a certain stature where they deserved to hear it before it was made public. And I appreciated their willingness to be a part of this."

Only Jaylen Brown complained

While George and Lillard didn't have any 'violent reactions, Brown questioned the decision to omit him right after the lineup was announced. He even alluded that the USAB sponsor, Nike, had a hand in his exclusion from the team.

The former Detroit Pistons star went on to explain that he picked Derrick White to replace Kawhi Leonard because White is a role player and is one who thrives as a complimentary piece. Hill later called the Nike issue a conspiracy theory and Brown didn't like Grant calling him a conspiracy theorist.

"There's a lot of noise," added Hill. "But I'm confident that he and I will sit down at some point and talk about it. Get to some level of understanding. Look, he can be a candidate if he wants, in 2028."

JB in the Los Angeles Olympics?

Brown has since mellowed down on the topic and seems to be ready to move on. In one of his recent interviews, JB says that the snub has certainly revved him up and it will only motivate him to get better.

"Absolutely, I'm super fired up," Brown said . " Now I've got all the motivation in the world to just come out and improve."

It's unclear whether Jaylen meant that he would be more motivated to win more championships for the Celtics or whether he was determined to make Team USA in the future. Or it could be both. One thing's certain, though. Team USA must win gold in Paris, or this Jaylen Brown snub could haunt Grant Hill.

Related: Grant Hill clarifies why he picked Derrick White over Jaylen Brown for Team USA: "I always love a good conspiracy theory"