Spurs Agree To Waive Jeremy Sochan

The Spurs have agreed to grant Jeremy Sochan his release, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The team officially announced in a press release that the fourth-year forward has been placed on waivers.

The No. 9 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Sochan had fallen out of San Antonio’s rotation this season and was viewed as a change-of-scenery candidate ahead of last week’s trade deadline. The club reportedly gave his representatives permission to explore a potential deal.

While he wasn’t involved in a deadline deal for the Spurs, who were one of three NBA teams not to make an in-season trade, Sochan will still get a chance at a fresh start before the end of the season. Assuming no team places a waiver claim on the forward and his expiring $7.1MM expiring contract, which is probably a safe bet, he’ll reach unrestricted free agency and will have the opportunity to sign outright with any NBA club. According to Charania, multiple teams are expected to have interest.

Sochan, 22, made 149 starts and averaged 27.3 minutes per game in his first three seasons with the Spurs, contributing 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per contest during that time.

Although he’s a solid, versatile defender who earned a regular spot in Gregg Popovich‘s and Mitch Johnson‘s rotations for several years, Sochan has struggled with his shot, having made just 28.7% of his career three-pointers. It also never seemed as if the Spurs entirely figured out how they wanted to use him — at various times, he was deployed as a point guard, a small-ball center, and almost everything in between.

More to come…