The San Antonio Spurs shocked the NBA on Friday when they waived second-year guard Josh Primo just four games into the season. The team announced the move with a sparse press release that raised more questions than it answered. "It is our hope that, in the long run, this decision will serve the best interest of both the organization and Joshua," longtime Spurs GM R.C. Buford said, a statement which Gregg Popovich declined to elaborate on later that night before a game against the Bulls.
Hours later, Primo released a statement to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski referencing a "previous trauma I suffered" and announcing that he would "take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully." On Saturday, the story became clearer: ESPN reported that the Spurs made the decision to cut Primo after learning of "multiple alleged instances of him exposing himself to women."
One of those women was a former Spurs employee who retained the services of attorney Tony Buzbee, according to a report from The Athletic. Buzbee is the lawyer who represented 24 of the women who accused Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct during massage therapy appointments. Buzbee confirmed his involvement in the case, though he said on Instagram, "I won’t be saying anything about it until the appropriate time."
Primo had projected to be a rather important player in the Spurs' future. He left Alabama after one year of SEC ball to enter the 2021 NBA Draft, where he was the youngest player on the board. Primo was expected to go in either the late first round or early second round, but instead, the Spurs took him in the lottery, 12th overall, ahead of several prominent prospects like Moses Moody and Alperen Sengun. That spoke to the belief the Spurs had in his abilities, as did the organization's choice to pick up Primo's $4.3 million contract option three weeks before they cut him. Since no teams claimed him off waivers, Primo officially became a free agent on Monday.
