Historic Alabama guard Josh Primo returned to the NBA on Thursday – for about six hours.
The Chicago Bulls signed Primo to an Exhibit 10 contract, giving the previous first-round choose a spot on the group’s NBA coaching camp roster. However on the identical day, the Bulls introduced First had been given up.
For a participant whose NBA profession was derailed by off-court points, the in-and-out commerce may have been seen as a signing that blew up within the Bulls’ face. However that wasn’t the case.
Primo suffered a stress fracture to the navicular bone in his left ankle in April. The harm required surgical procedure and restricted Primo’s potential to work on his recreation this summer season.
By waiving Primo after signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract, Chicago can enable the guard to return to the court docket with its NBA Gatorade League affiliate – the Windy Metropolis Bulls.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year contract, with minimal wage and never assured. If the participant shouldn’t be on the NBA group’s roster, the contract features a provision that may pay him a bonus if he spends not less than 60 days with the group’s NBA G League affiliate.
For Primo, the bonus may attain $77,500.
The bizarre begin to the 2024-25 season for Primo comes after his unusual dealing with by the Los Angeles Clippers throughout the 2023-24 marketing campaign.
The Clippers initially signed Primo to a two-way contract final offseason. As such, Primo may play with the NBA group and its G League affiliate, the Ontario Clippers.
After buying and selling 4 gamers for guard James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers on November 1, Los Angeles signed Primo to its 15-man roster.
However after signing a two-year, $3.961 million contract which included $2.764 million in assured cash, Primo solely performed two video games for the Clippers. He performed on December 16 and March 1, totaling two factors and one rebound in 10 minutes on the court docket.
Primo spent a lot of the season with Ontario. In 35 G League video games, he averaged 16.3 factors, 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals.
THE The Clippers have given up First on August 13, the day earlier than Los Angeles’ ultimate common season recreation, after injuring his ankle, though his departure left him $1 million useless cash on the NBA group wage cap for 2024-25.
After Primo averaged 8.1 factors and three.4 rebounds in 30 video games in his lone season at Alabama, the San Antonio Spurs chosen the 6-foot-6, 18-year-old twelfth total within the draft. the NBA 2021.
As a rookie, Primo averaged 5.8 factors, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 50 video games, together with 16 begins.
The Spurs surprised the NBA in gave up on Primo 4 video games into his second season on October 28, 2022, with out giving a cause.
In November 2022, lawsuits have been filed in opposition to Primo and the Spurs. In saying the lawsuits, Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee alleged Primo had uncovered himself to Dr. Hillary Cauthen on a number of events whereas working for San Antonio. When Cauthen introduced the matter to the eye of NBA group administration, she was assured the difficulty could be resolved, Buzbee mentioned, however as an alternative she was marginalized and, in the end, misplaced her place as marketing consultant psychologist at Spurs.
Cauthen mentioned As a result of San Antonio administration failed to handle the issue, different ladies needed to endure what they did.
THE the lawsuits had been resolved with out going to court docket roughly two weeks after they had been filed.
Primo not performed basketball till signal a two-way contract with Los Angeles on September 29, 2023. The identical day Primo signed with the Clippers, the The NBA introduced he had suspended guard for 4 video games.
“The league performed its personal investigation and consulted with related consultants,” the assertion mentioned. NBA mentioned in a press launch. “Because of the method, the league discovered that Primo engaged in inappropriate and offensive habits by exposing himself to ladies. Primo maintains that his conduct was unintentional and that the league discovered no proof that he engaged in any sexual or different misconduct past these temporary revelations.
“Nonetheless, this habits shouldn’t be in line with league requirements and warrants self-discipline.”
On December 8, 2023, the Announcement from the Bexar County (Texas) District Legal professional’s Workplace the top of its felony investigation into Primo and mentioned he wouldn’t be charged with indecent assault attributable to inadequate proof.
Mark Inabinett is a sports activities reporter for Alabama Media Group. Observe him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
