Kings Add 22-Year-Old Standout in NBA Trade Idea With Spurs

The Sacramento Kings and defense have not been synonymous, and that has to change if they want to be competitive in this era of basketball. Both the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder made the finals on the back of their defenses, and the Thunder took home the title as the NBA’s best defense.

Sacramento has a long way to go, but they can start by canvassing the league for some options that might make them a bit more stout defensively. On the Game Theory Podcast, host Sam Vecenie brought up Jeremy Sochan as someone the Kings should look into.

“The second team I was going to bring up [for Sochan] is Sacramento, because Sacramento is kind of kicking the tires on Kuminga, and they have Sabonis… it actually kind of works,” Vecenie said.

Vecenie’s cohost, Bryce Simon, went on to add some more color to why Sochan might make sense for Sacramento.

“Here’s what would be interesting with that is now he takes those defensive matchups that I don’t want Keegan Murray to have to take all of the time, you have Keegan spacing the floor, you have other guys who can space the floor, that’s kind of interesting,” Simon responded.

Mar 7, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) pushes the ball up the court during the fourth quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

The Kings don’t have many options at the 3 and 4 defensively, other than Keegan Murray, who is being asked to do way too much on that end of the court. Being able to play Sochan and Murray together would give the Kings two plus defenders who can jump out to the perimeter and defend bigger forwards.

Sochan isn’t necessarily the type of player who is going to block a ton of shots or rack up a lot of steals, but he’s got great switchability and just makes things tough on whomever he’s defending. Jeje Gomez had this to say about Sochan during the 2024-25 season in Pounding the Rock.

“Over the past five games, all of which Jeremy Sochan has missed, the Spurs rank dead last in defensive rating by a mile and 25th in offensive rebounding,” Gomez said. “The opponents’ main shot creator, whom Sochan often guards, has absolutely feasted on San Antonio’s perimeter defense.”

The question is, why would the San Antonio Spurs be willing to move Sochan? The answer may be in his contract situation. Vecenie and Simon brought up Sochan’s eligibility for a rookie extension and the fact that San Antonio already has three non-shooters who will likely be on the court a lot next season. San Antonio may not be interested in offering Sochan what he deserves if they’re unsure about how he fits in.

Sochan was the ninth overall pick, so San Antonio isn’t going to give him up for nothing, but they may be willing to part with him for the right package that allows them to improve their future flexibility.

Trade Proposal:

Kings receive: Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson

Spurs receive: Malik Monk, Terrance Davis, and their own 2027 first-round pick (top 15 protected)

Mar 20, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) looks on during the second quarter of the game against the Chicago Bulls at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

We’ve already talked a bit about why Sochan fits on the Kings, but let’s dive a little deeper. First, Sochan is an excellent offensive rebounder and could make up for a lot of what Sacramento will be losing after trading Jonas Valanciunas.

Among players with 50 games played and at least 20 minutes per game, Sochan ranked 17th in offensive rebound percentage last season. When you look at the size difference between him and everyone else on the list, that number becomes even more impressive.

While Sochan is small compared to centers, he’s got great size as a wing and has shown an ability to defend 1-4. Opponents struggle to score on Sochan, shooting almost a percentage point below average from the field and 3.3% below average from deep. His defense might be worth the price on its own.

Jeremy Sochan is consistently hooping

Elite off-ball cutter/roller, finds little pockets of space & exploits them with great timing. Taking advantage of more limited on-ball reps & getting down hill. Working hard on the glass and matching up defensively as well. Versatile wing! pic.twitter.com/e06WlWqNQk
— NBA University (@NBA_University) October 31, 2024

Offensively, Sochan is a similar fit to Kuminga with some caveats. Sochan isn’t the isolation player Jonathan Kuminga is, but he is a significantly better passer and off-ball player. This brings us to Sam and Bryce’s point about playing off Sabonis. In the NBA, spacing can be created by shooting and moving without the ball.

While Sochan isn’t a shooter, he does move without the ball well. Sochan shot 68% in the restricted area with nearly 76% of those shots being assisted. With Sabonis often controlling the ball at the top of the key and Shooters on the wings, Sochan’s cutting could make a big difference in Sacramento’s offense. Add in Sochan’s secondary playmaking, and the offensive fit isn’t so bad.

Hornets players shot a combined 2-15 on 13.3% shooting when guarded by Jeremy Sochan

2 minutes of Sochan being a menace on defense pic.twitter.com/PfnNEBeOlM
— Spurs Culture (@SpursCulture) January 13, 2024

San Antonio may not be interested in this kind of move, but if you’re the Kings, it’s a call worth making. Sochan is a tough, gritty player who fits into the vision that Scott Perry and Doug Christie have for the team.

Moving Monk isn’t exciting, no matter how you spin it, but the Kings need to start turning this roster over at some point if they want to give their young guys a chance to develop. Taking on Johnson, giving up Monk, and a (protected) first-round pick is a lot, but I wouldn’t hate them taking a chance.

Trade Proposal:

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