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The San Antonio Spurs shockingly waived second-year guard Joshua Primo on Friday. Primo was the No. 12 pick in last year's draft and played in the Spurs' first four games of the season. San Antonio recently picked up his third and fourth-year options worth $4.1 million and $4.3 million, respectively.
Primo was being groomed as the next big star for the Spurs before his sudden release. He averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 50 games last season. In the first four games this season, he was averaging 7.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich declined to comment on Primo's release before and after their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Primo was initially ruled out due to a glute injury, but was waived an hour before tipoff.
"It is our hope that, in the long run, this decision will serve the best interest of both the organization and Joshua," Spurs CEO RC Buford said in a statement.
Why did the Spurs waive Joshua Primo?
According to ESPN, the San Antonio Spurs parted ways with Joshua Primo because he allegedly exposed himself to multiple women on multiple occasions. The Spurs were also quick to remove him from their official website, while his jersey was pulled from their shop.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that one of Primo's victims was a former Spurs female employee. She hired Tony Buzbee, who represented the women in multiple sexual misconduct lawsuits against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Despite details emerging about Primo's release, several NBA teams remain interested in the former lottery pick. Teams may place a waiver claim on Primo as long as they have the cap space to accommodate his salary. If no team claims him by Monday afternoon, Primo will become a free agent.
Joshua Primo releases statement about his release
A few hours after his sudden release from the San Antonio Spurs, Joshua Primo released a statement via Adrian Wojnarowksi of ESPN. Primo explained that he's getting treated for a mental health problem stemming from a previous trauma. He will further discuss his issues in the future, but wants privacy at the moment.
"I know that you all are surprised by today's announcement," Primo said. "I've been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I suffered and will now take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully. I hope to be able to discuss these issues in the future so I can help others who have suffered in a similar way. I appreciate privacy at this time."
The San Antonio Spurs are off to a surprisingly hot start this season with a 4-2 record. They have wins over the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls.
It was supposed to be a bad season for the Spurs since they traded their best player, Dejounte Murray, in the offseason. The Spurs were one of the teams expected to tank for Victor Wembanyama.
