Former Spurs lottery picks' career hits new low with surprising update

The San Antonio Spurs have pulled off one of the most impressive rebuilds in recent NBA history, but a recent lottery pick hasn't had the same success elsewhere. Spurs 2021 first-round pick Joshua Primo spent about a season and a half with the team before being unceremoniously waived following some serious allegations.

He then spent a year away from the NBA before being signed by the Los Angeles Clippers. He appeared in just three regular season games before finding himself out of the NBA again. Now comes news that he has signed with a Russian team to further his career.

Had he not seemingly self-sabotaged his career, it's possible that he would still be with the Spurs. After all, they were clearly high in him when they reached by selecting him 12th overall in 2021.

Joshua Primo appears to be out of the NBA for good

That move was questionable at the time, with many mock drafts not having him as a first-round pick, let alone the lottery selection. They proved to be right.

In theory, drafting an 18-year-old with seemingly unlimited upside made plenty of sense for the rebuilding Spurs. Especially with him being an above-average shooter and still growing both physically and developmentally.

He barely played during his rookie year. However, he put on serious muscle ahead of what was shaping up to be a potential breakout sophomore year for Primo.

Of course, then the allegations happened, and San Antonio wisely waved him, sending him on his way. Primo is still just 23 years old but has seemingly squandered much of his potential by making boneheaded decisions.

The Spurs don't miss Joshua Primo at all

Now, he finds himself playing in Russia. That is a dramatic fall from grace after being selected in the lottery by one of the most successful franchises in NBA history. In fact, he should be a cautionary tale to the Spurs' young core.

Wasting a lottery pick is never a good thing, but it worked out well for the Spurs. They struggled for another couple of seasons before landing the number-one overall pick in 2023 and drafting Victor Wembanyama. They then followed that up by selecting Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.

As a result, Primo is now a distant memory, destined to be forgotten by Spurs fans. Perhaps that is for the best given how bleak things were for San Antonio post-Kawhi Leonard and pre-Wembanyama.

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