New Details Emerge Regarding Josh Primo's Exit In San Antonio

The San Antonio Spurs shocked the NBA world on Friday night when they waived 2021 first-round pick Joshua Primo.

In a move that caught everyone in the NBA by surprise on Friday night, the San Antonio Spurs decided to waive 2021 first-round pick Joshua Primo, who was selected 12th overall by the team last year.

Primo was the youngest player selected in the 2021 NBA Draft and after some impressive showings during his rookie season, the Spurs decided to pick up the team options on the back-end of his contract just a couple of weeks ago.

While no immediate reason has been given as to why the Spurs decided to waive the young guard, Spurs CEO RC Buford did release a statement on behalf of the organization, stating that it is the team’s hope that “this decision will serve the best interest of both the organization and Joshua.”

The Spurs have made it abundantly clear that nobody within the organization, including players and coaches, will be speaking about this matter involving Primo.

Following this announcement by the Spurs and following all the questions being asked around the NBA world, Josh Primo reached out to ESPN and issued the following statement to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Josh Primo statement to ESPN in the aftermath of his release from the Spurs tonight: pic.twitter.com/H1n3k3IIcn

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 29, 2022

Primo: “I know that you all are surprised by today’s announcement. I’ve been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I have 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.”

Primo, 19, was a rising talent on a very young Spurs roster and he had already begun to display the improvements he had made in his game from last season, his rookie season, to early on this year.

In 54 career games with the Spurs, Primo averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 37.2 percent from the floor and 30.2 percent from three-point range.

As to what the reaction around the league has been, one Eastern Conference executive told Fastbreak on FanNation that he was “shocked” to hear this news regarding Primo. One agent who spoke with Fastbreak also added that he too was surprised and that nobody around the league had any idea that something had occurred internally between the young guard and the Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs currently find themselves with a 4-2 record early on this season, which should be the key talking point for this team, but questions pertaining to Joshua Primo and his immediate health off-the-court will remain a priority for the foreseeable future. 

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