The Los Angeles Clippers have made a bold move in signing free-agent Canadian basketball player Joshua Primo to a two-way contract.
Primo, a promising Canadian NBA prospect, has been without a contract since being waived by the San Antonio Spurs on October 29th, 2022 following allegations and a lawsuit that he repeatedly exposed himself to Spurs psychologist Hillary Cauthento her during private therapy sessions.
Earlier Friday, the NBA also suspended Primo for four games without pay for detrimental conduct to the league, after an internal investigation into the matter revealed that he had “engaged in inappropriate and offensive behaviour by exposing himself to women.”
As per the press release, Primo “maintains that his conduct was not intentional, and the league did not find evidence that he engaged in any sexual or other misconduct apart from these brief exposures. Nevertheless, this conduct does not conform to league standards and warrants discipline.”
Since his release from the Spurs in October, Primo has been engaged in ongoing therapy – which will continue in Los Angeles.
The Clippers considered signing Primo several months after his release and did their due diligence by consulting several mental health specialists.
“We’ve spent a great deal of time for the last several months with Josh, we’ve had specialists who we consult with who’ve evaluated Josh, and the reason why we’re moving forward is, based on their confidence level after the evaluations and what he’s doing currently, they feel he can be a positive contributor to the organization moving forward,” mentioned Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations.
The six-foot-six, 20-year-old guard averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 54 career games with the Spurs. It is expected that he will primarily play for the Ontario Clippers, the G League affiliate of the Clippers.
Clippers G League roster also features Canadian sharpshooter Nate Darling.
