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LAS VEGAS -- Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin withdrew last week from Team USA training camp for the FIBA World Cup because he was advised by doctors to give a small fracture in his back more time to heal before the start of the next NBA season, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com.

Griffin is expected to make a full recovery from the injury, which sources say was suffered during the playoffs. However, doctors advised him to sit out international competition this summer for precautionary reasons.

Griffin has continued to work out this summer in Los Angeles with teammate DeAndre Jordan and former Laker and Clipper Sasha Vujacic.

Both Griffin and Minnesota forward Kevin Love withdrew from the training camp last week, which left Team USA thin in the front court and prompted the late addition of Atlanta's Paul Millsap to the camp.

In a statement, USA Basketball said Love was unable to participate "because of his current status," a thinly veiled reference to the trade talks that have dragged on since June.

"My whole thing is that I didn't want to go into [Clippers training] camp and put myself in a worse position," Griffin said. "It's not that my back is broken and I'm walking around with a broken back, or I'm in so much pain.

"But if I start playing basically two months earlier than everybody else and then go through all of next season and the playoffs, then I'm probably going to put myself in a bad position. I couldn't do that."