Spurs waive recent lottery pick Joshua Primo for unclear reasons

The San Antonio Spurs have waived guard Joshua Primo, the team announced on Friday. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich declined to offer an explanation for the team’s decision, nor does the team’s official statement offer any clarity. In pure basketball terms, this is one of the more surprising moves in recent memory.

Primo was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. His numbers have been nothing to write home about—5.9 points per game 37.2 percent shooting from the field—but he has flashed plenty of promise across his rookie season and the first four games of this season. Primo was always expected to be a project on the floor. It was always going to take him time to find his footing in the NBA.

NBA teams don’t often move on from players this young, but it is not unprecedented. The Phoenix Suns declined the third-year option on 2020 lottery selection Jalen Smith last season and ultimately wound up trading him. The Spurs, however, picked up Primo’s third-year option just two weeks ago, meaning his contract had been guaranteed for $4.1 million this season and $4.3 million next season. He can now be claimed on waivers, and if he clears waivers, he will be an unrestricted free agent.

Primo had been listed as out for Friday’s game against the Chicago Bulls on San Antonio’s injury report with “left glute soreness,” and he had already missed Wednesday’s loss to Minnesota. Now, he’s off of the roster entirely.