Which players went fastest from lottery picks to waived?
In light of the shocking – and ugly – news regarding the San Antonio Spurs waiving former lottery pick Josh Primo late last week, we decided to take a look at other lottery picks who were cut quickly after being drafted.
The Spurs obviously had good reason to waive Primo, but in other instances, it was simply about teams realizing they may have made a mistake with their valuable draft asset by choosing the wrong player and selecting to cut their losses. In some cases, the players were already on their second team when waived.
Below, check out the NBA players waived the fastest since being drafted in the lottery.
Josh Primo (San Antonio): Waived 456 days after being drafted
Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
Selected with the 12th pick in the 2021 draft
Stats with first team: 5.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 1.8 apg in 54 games
Kendall Marshall (Washington): 487 days
Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Selected with the 13th pick in the 2012 draft by Phoenix
Stats with first team: 3.0 ppg, 3.0 apg and 0.9 rpg in 48 games
Georgios Papagiannis (Sacramento): 595 days
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Selected with the 13th pick in the 2016 draft
Stats with first team: 4.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 0.8 apg in 38 games
Anthony Bennett (Minnesota): 818 days
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
Selected with the 1st pick in the 2013 draft by Cleveland
Stats with first team: 4.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 0.4 spg in 52 games
Yaroslav Korolev (LA Clippers): 849 days
Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
Selected with the 12th pick in the 2005 draft
Stats with first team: 1.1 ppg, 0.5 rpg and 0.4 apg in 34 games
Ed O'Bannon (Orlando): 851 days
Selected with the 9th pick in the 1995 draft by New Jersey
Stats with first team: 5.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 0.8 apg in 109 games
Aleksandar Radojevic (Milwaukee): 852 days
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Selected with the 12th pick in the 1999 draft by Toronto
Stats with first team: 2.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 0.7 steals in three games
Marcus Haislip (Milwaukee): 862 days
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Selected with the 13th pick in the 2002 draft
Stats with first team: 3.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg and 0.4 bpg in 70 games
Joe Alexander (Charlotte): 870 days
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Selected with the 8th pick in the 2008 draft by Milwaukee
Stats with first team: 4.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg and 0.7 apg in 59 games
Eddie Griffin (Houston): 905 days
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Selected with the 7th pick in the 2001 draft
Stats with first team: 8.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 1.6 bpg in 150 games
Chris Washburn (Atlanta): 920 days
Selected with the 3rd pick in the 1986 draft by Golden State
Stats with first team: 3.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 0.4 apg in 43 games
Saer Sene (Oklahoma City): 967 days
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Selected with the 10th pick in the 2006 draft
Stats with first team: 2.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg and 0.5 bpg in 46 games
Thomas Robinson (Denver): 967 days
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Selected with the 5th pick in the 2012 draft by Sacramento
Stats with first team: 4.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 0.7 apg in 51 games
Reggie Williams (Cleveland): 980 days
Photo by Stephen Dunn/NBAE/Getty Images
Selected with the 4th pick in the 1987 draft by the LA Clippers
Stats with first team: 10.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 1.7 apg in 103 games
Shawn Respert (Toronto): 995 days
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Selected with the 8th pick in the 1995 draft by Milwaukee
Stats with first team: 4.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg and 1.0 apg in 76 games
Terrence Williams (Houston): 995 days
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Selected with the 11th pick in the 2009 draft by New Jersey
Stats with first team: 8.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 2.9 apg in 88 games
