Jeremy Sochan Enters Buyout Market After Spurs Waiver
Well Spurs fans, Jeremy Sochan’s time in the River City has officially come to an end.
The Spurs waived the former lottery pick Wednesday in the aftermath of the trade deadline which passed last Thursday.
Sochan, 22, was the ninth-overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Spurs. An All-Rookie team performer during the 2022-23 season, Sochan has not been a main part of head coach Mitch Johnson’s rotations this season and has logged just 49 minutes since the start of January.
Known for his variety of hair color choices, Sochan should be one of the featured names in the NBA buyout market, with several playoff-contending teams expected to make inquiries. Before the trade deadline, the New York Knicks were one of the teams who held interest in acquiring Sochan, who had hoped to be traded by the deadline. That hope never materialized and after remaining out of the team’s rotations and not having a clear role, both sides decided it was best to move on now and allow Sochan the opportunity to join a new team before the offseason.
The writing was on the wall for Sochan last year when the team drafted Dylan Harper at #6 and Carter Bryant with the 14th pick. The team also picked up Kelly Olynyk and Luke Kornet as well which hindered his ability to crack coach Mitch Johnson’s rotation.
The death knell for Sochan this season has been the emergence of Carter Bryant. While Sochan provided the Spurs with a lockdown defender, Bryant has flashed more upside as a two-way player, having connected on 40% from deep in his past two games in addition to logging a steal and three blocks.
In 28 games this season, Sochan has averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and an assist while shooting 47.5% from the field. During V-Dub’s rookie season, the Spurs experimented with playing Sochan at point guard, where he logged a 31-point, 14-rebound performance. The experiment was ultimately a failure as the team went 34-48 and again missed the playoffs.
“When I think about my whole life, I’ve been moving all over the place,” Sochan said. “I left home at 15 and this is the first time I’ve been somewhere for more than a year since then. And it’s been four years. I feel like I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears to this city. I’m going to put all of that into wherever I am.”
The Spurs now have one open roster spot that can be utilized to sign a player in the buyout market.
