Many questions were raised when the San Antonio Spurs dropped Joshua Primo, the 12th draft pick of last year, out of the blue on Friday. A reply came a day later.
According to ESPN, Primo was released on multiple alleged counts of exposing himself to women.
The ESPN report offered few details on the allegations against Primo, merely noting that the sudden decision to let him go reflected the seriousness of the problems with the 19-year-old wing. The Athletic’s Shams Charania later reported that a former Spurs employee claimed that Primo had exposed himself to her and hired lawyer Tony Buzbee to represent him here.
Buzbee is best known in sports circles as an attorney representing 30 women who have sued Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson and his veteran Houston Texans team over sexual assault and molestation allegations.
Primo is currently on waivers and will come into free agency Monday unless a team claims him and salary of $4.1 million for this season plus $4.3 million for 2023-2024.
In 54 career games, Primo – who is still younger than many of this season’s NBA rookies – has averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 19.6 minutes per game while averaging 37.2% shot from the field. Many NBA teams are reportedly still interested in his potential but are seeking more information as they consider claiming him on waivers.
Joshua Primo cited ‘previous trauma’ and mental health after Spurs waiving
Prior to Saturday’s report, most NBA watchers were either confused by the Spurs’ decision to forego Primo or assumed there was more to the story, which turned out to be true. See the article : Sunday Sports: St. Lawrence Central Girls’ Soccer hopes to win C-Class Championship.
It was an amazing move considering the Spurs had drafted him 12th overall from Alabama 15 months earlier and exercised his option for next season earlier this month. Spurs CEO R.C. Buford hinted at issues surrounding Primo in a brief statement:
“We hope this decision will serve both the organization and Joshua in the long term.”
Primo released his own statement hours later, announcing that he was seeking mental health treatment to deal with past trauma and asking for privacy at the moment:
“I know you are all surprised by today’s announcement. I have sought help to cope with previous trauma I have suffered and will now take this time to focus more fully on my mental health treatment. 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 value privacy during this time.”
Even with ESPN‘s reveal, the lack of details likely means Primo’s future will remain a blur for the foreseeable future unless more details are brought to light.
Joshua Primo was the youngest player in the NBA last season. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
