San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will be sidelined the next two games after undergoing "a minor medical procedure" on Friday, the team revealed, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Popovich will miss Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans and Sunday's game against the Phoenix Suns. He'll return when the Spurs host the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

Brett Brown is set to step in for Popovich over the next two games. He previously served as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers from 2013 to '20, when he was replaced by current bench boss Doc Rivers.

In addition to his latest absence, Popovich missed a 123-92 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 20 with an illness. Brown also stepped in to coach during that game.

The Spurs enter Friday's game 14th in the Western Conference with a 6-16 record. The franchise is in the midst of a rebuild after having failed to make the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.

Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell are two of San Antonio's best players and are a duo that it will likely want to build around in the coming years.

Popovich has been head coach of the Spurs since 1996. In his 27 seasons at the helm, the Spurs are 1,350-717 and have won five NBA titles, the most recent coming in 2014, when they defeated the Miami Heat in five games.

Popovich will turn 74 next month, and his time in the NBA is undoubtedly winding down.

Kawhi Leonard said there is no bad blood between him and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich after the Los Angeles Clippers star faced his old team Sunday.

Leonard scored 11 points as the Clippers earned a 119-97 win over the Spurs on Saturday.

The 31-year-old spent his first seven seasons in San Antonio, helping the team win a championship in 2014. The relationship still didn't end well, with injuries limiting Leonard to just nine games in 2017-18 before a trade to the Toronto Raptors the following offseason.

It's clear Leonard has plenty of respect for Popovich, a three-time NBA Coach of the Year who will go down as one of the best in league history.

The 73-year-old Indiana native has led San Antonio to five NBA championships since taking over the job early in the 1996-97 campaign. The team's most recent title came in 2014.

Popovich, who coached the United States national team to a gold medal in the 2021 Summer Olympics, owns a 1,350-712 record (.655 winning percentage) in the regular season and a 170-114 mark (.599) in the playoffs.

He's been guiding the Spurs through a period of transition, with the 2018-19 season being the first without at least one of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili on the roster since 1996-97.

That's why extending the franchise's playoff streak to a record-tying 22 years required one of his best coaching jobs to date in 2018-19.

In an era dominated by three-point shooting and star power, the Spurs managed to earn the seventh seed in the loaded Western Conference with a 48-34 record despite being led by DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, two players who rely heavily on mid-range jumpers, and no other All-Stars.

The terrific run came to an end when they missed the postseason during the coronavirus-shortened 2019-20 campaign and again in 2020-21. They returned after earning a play-in tournament bid in 2021-22, but a 6-11 start to this year could make it difficult to earn another postseason appearance.

The coach is well-respected across the league, including, it seems, among former players like Leonard.

For months, the Los Angeles Lakers have been a part of trade buzz involving Russell Westbrook. And in most of those rumors, the Lakers are projected to land a star player or two in return.

Maybe Westbrook would get dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Kyrie Irving. Or perhaps Westbrook could end up going to the Indiana Pacers, who would send back Myles Turner and/or Buddy Hield.

Here's a new one: What if Los Angeles sent Westbrook to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott?

That's a rumored deal that's been featured in some recent buzz. According to LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk, the Lakers have "targeted" a trade for Richardson and McDermott. In that scenario, San Antonio would then buy out Westbrook's contract, making him a free agent, per Ellis.

So, what's the hang-up on this one?

"Talks haven’t gained traction because the Lakers are only willing to relinquish a pair of second-round picks in return for both players," Ellis wrote.

It makes sense that the Lakers wouldn't want to part with a first-round pick to land Richardson and McDermott. If they were going to deal one of those selections, they'd likely want a true star player in return.

In fact, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium recently reported that Los Angeles is "moving in a direction" in which it will "resist moving first-round picks if the season continues to go down this path." The Lakers also own only two first-rounders for the rest of this decade (2027 and 2029).

But Los Angeles would be wise to continue to pursue Richardson and/or McDermott and try to land at least one of the two in a trade without giving up either of those first-round picks. Maybe that could be done by the Lakers moving a package that includes a solid player or two and some second-round selections, but that isn't clear.

It's no secret that Los Angeles doesn't have enough shooters on its roster in order to have success. That's among the reasons why the Lakers have gotten off to a 2-9 start, which includes an active four-game losing streak.

Richardson shot 41.5 percent from three-point range over 65 games last season, and the 29-year-old wing player is shooting 42.6 percent from beyond the arc in 11 games so far in the 2022-23 campaign. He also averaged double-digit points each of the previous six seasons.

McDermott is a career 41 percent three-point shooter over nine NBA seasons. And the 30-year-old would be another player who would give Los Angeles more efficiency from the perimeter, which it needs.

These are the types of players who the Lakers should be targeting. They need to find the right complementary pieces to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, rather than seeking another big star who may not fit as well in their lineup.

It hasn't worked with the trio of James, Davis and Westbrook, and it doesn't seem like it's going to. Los Angeles has even tried moving Westbrook to the bench, but that still hasn't led to wins.

The Lakers would be a better, more well-rounded team if they replaced Westbrook with Richardson and McDermott. But, again, they shouldn't make that move if the cost is a first-round draft pick.

But if Los Angeles can land either of those two strong shooters (or both) at the right price, they would make the Lakers a much more complete team.

Former San Antonio Spurs guard Josh Primo is the subject of a criminal investigation after allegedly exposing himself to a former team psychologist on multiple occasions.

According to Mike Vorkunov and Shams Charania of The Athletic, Primo is being investigated by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, which serves the San Antonio metropolitan area.

The Spurs released Primo last week amid allegations from former team psychologist Dr. Hillary Cauthen that he exposed his genitals to her on nine occasions.

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Cauthen filed a lawsuit against Primo and the Spurs, alleging that the organization ignored numerous reports of Primo exposing himself to her.

Cauthen, who was hired by the Spurs in April 2021, said that Primo first exposed himself to her in December 2021. She said she reported it to the Spurs in January 2022, but the organization did nothing, and Primo exposed himself several more times.

In August 2022, Cauthen's contract with the Spurs expired, and she was not signed to a new deal.

Primo's attorney, William J. Briggs II, called Cauthen's allegations "a complete fabrication, a gross embellishment or utter fantasy." Briggs also said Primo was unaware that his genitals were visible underneath his workout shorts, and that Cauthen never told Primo there was an issue.

Spurs CEO RC Buford added that the organization disagrees "with the accuracy of facts, details and timeline presented" in the lawsuit.

Cauthen's attorney, Tony Buzbee, said Primo's "conduct is well outside of the bounds of what is normal and acceptable," before adding that the Spurs were "egregious and absolutely unreasonable" in their handling of Cauthen's allegations.

In releasing Primo last week, the Spurs said in a statement that they were doing so in the "best interest of both the organization and Joshua."

Primo, 19, is a native of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, who played his college basketball at Alabama before the Spurs selected him 12th overall in the 2021 NBA draft.

As a rookie last season, Primo appeared in 50 games and averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists, while shooting 37.4 percent from the field.

Before his release, Primo played in four games this season, averaging 7.0 points, 4.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds. He seemed poised for a much bigger role in his second season, averaging 23.3 minutes per game, compared to 19.3 as a rookie.

Former San Antonio Spurs psychologist Hillary Cauthen will file a criminal complaint accusing Joshua Primo of exposing himself to her nine times beginning in December 2021, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

Cauthen has also filed a lawsuit against both Primo and the Spurs.

According to the lawsuit, Cauthen met with Spurs general manager Brian Wright in March to discuss her accusations against Primo, but "nothing was done about Primo's behavior," per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.

Head coach Gregg Popovich reportedly "was aware of her complaints and accusations" and Cauthen was told by the team's general counsel and head of human resources that Popovich "wanted to do right by her," per Charania.

Primo's attorney denied the allegations in a statement Thursday:

Spurs CEO RC Buford released a statement:

The Spurs waived Primo in October just four games into the 2022-23 season.

In a statement after his release, Primo said he would focus on his mental health to help deal with previous trauma:

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski later reported the release stemmed from "multiple alleged instances of him exposing himself to women."

Primo went unclaimed on waivers, although Wojnarowski reported several NBA teams have "significant interest" and will monitor the situation.

The 19-year-old was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft out of Alabama. He averaged 5.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in 50 appearances last season.

Former San Antonio Spurs guard Josh Primo, the No. 12 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, is reportedly an unrestricted free agent after clearing waivers on Monday.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Primo went unclaimed after the Spurs waived him on Friday following "several" allegations of the 19-year-old exposing himself to women.

Despite the allegations, there is "significant interest in monitoring Primo's future among numerous NBA teams," Wojnarowski noted. However, claiming him on waivers would have cost a team over $8 million in salary through 2023-24, and the uncertainty of his future caused teams to hesitate.

Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported on Saturday that attorney Tony Buzbee has been retained by a woman who worked within the Spurs organization and alleged that Primo exposed himself to her. Buzbee represented multiple women who sued Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson for sexual misconduct.

With Primo going unclaimed, the Spurs are responsible for his $4.1 million salary this year and his $4.3 million salary for the 2023-24 season.

Primo provided a statement to ESPN on Friday and said he's been seeking treatment for a previous trauma.

"I know that you all are surprised by today's announcement," Primo said in the statement. "I've been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I suffered and will now take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully. I hope to be able to discuss these issues in the future so I can help others who have suffered in a similar way. I appreciate privacy at this time."

The Alabama product has averaged 5.9 points in 54 games across two seasons, including 16 starts as a rookie. He appeared in the first four games of the season and averaged 7.0 points off the bench.

Former San Antonio Spurs guard Joshua Primo was unexpectedly released by the franchise on Friday, and we now have more details on the decision.

The Spurs opted to release the 19-year-old because he allegedly exposed himself to women on several occasions, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski.

Shelburne and Wojnarowski added:

"Many NBA teams remain intrigued with Primo's talent and potential, but are searching for a more complete understanding of the situation as they weigh the possibility of placing a claim to acquire Primo before he clears waivers and becomes a free agent Monday afternoon, sources said."

Primo recently had his $4.3 million third-year option for the 2023-24 campaign picked up by the Spurs before he was released.

The second-year guard was the youngest player selected in the 2021 NBA draft when the Spurs picked him 12th overall out of Alabama. He averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 50 games (16 starts) during his rookie season.

Primo had also played in San Antonio's first four games of the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 7.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists off the bench. He was left out of the lineup in Wednesday's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and was released before Friday's win over the Chicago Bulls.

"It is our hope that, in the long run, this decision will serve the best interest of both the organization and Joshua," Spurs Sports and Entertainment CEO RC Buford said in a statement.

Shortly after being released, Primo released a statement to ESPN on the situation:

"I know that you all are surprised by today's announcement. I've been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I suffered and will now take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully. I hope to be able to discuss these issues in the future so I can help others who have suffered in a similar way. I appreciate privacy at this time."

The Spurs are 4-2 and are back in action against the Timberwolves on Sunday.

The San Antonio Spurs have announced that they have waived guard Josh Primo, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

"It is our hope that, in the long run, this decision will serve the best interest of both the organization and Joshua," Spurs Sports & Entertainment CEO RC Buford said.

Primo provided a statement to ESPN on the matter.

No members of the Spurs organization (including players) will be speaking further on the move at this time, per the team's remarks.

The 19-year-old Primo averaged 5.8 points on 37.4 percent shooting and 2.3 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game during his rookie season. He played in 50 games with 16 starts.

This season, the former Alabama star averaged 7.0 points on 34.6 percent shooting, 4.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds over 23.3 minutes per game.

He came off the bench for each of the Spurs' first four games but was listed as out on the injury report for San Antonio's most recent matchup, a 134-122 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. ESPN's Tim MacMahon relayed the reason.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks, Marc J. Spears of Andscape and Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.com provided commentary on the situation.

Marks also added notes on the waiver claim order for added insight on the potential of Primo's next destination:

The Houston Rockets finished with the worst record last year, followed by the Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers to round out the top five.

The Spurs' next game will be home on Saturday versus the Chicago Bulls.