Door for Jeremy Sochan to Re-Sign With Knicks Is Still Wide Open

There's still a chance with how things have played out for NY.

A Sochan return for the Knicks can't be ruled out. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Knicks have spent much of free agency re-signing many of their own contributors. However, one notable piece from this NBA Finals team still on the market is Jeremy Sochan.

With only one remaining roster spot and a huge need at center, some may have written off a Sochan return by now. But there's reason to believe Sochan could actually help New York out with its frontcourt, at least in the short term.

Jeremy Sochan could help fill in at center for Knicks while they work on bigger move

One major asset Sochan brings to the table is his positional flexibility. As an agile player who also stands 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, he has the length, physicality and speed to guard positions 1-5.

While Sochan has made his home mostly at power forward up to this point in his career, he's also spent a legitimate chunk of time as a small-ball center. In 2024-25, he logged 41% of his minutes at the five-spot, per Basketball Reference, and this past year he was at 39% between the Spurs and Knicks.

Jeremy Sochan could still provide the Knicks with some much-needed frontcourt depth. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Though the split in New York was 67-33 in favor of power forward, he still was there a third of the time, so it's something the team is willing to embrace. Head coach Mike Brown did just that on the biggest stage, as he had Sochan check in for both Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti during Game 4 of the Finals with Karl-Anthony Towns in foul trouble.

The departures of Robinson and Hukporti are what give Sochan his best path to a return. While Andre Drummond is now in the fold, there will be times when Brown wants a different flavor at center or needs someone else to eat up minutes there. Sochan is more than capable as someone who's experienced there and notched 149 career starts.

Though it would be a bold experiment to treat Sochan as a true center, that's the kind of luxury signing that someone so established like Drummond affords. That strong veteran presence, including KAT as a starter, means New York could go the more developmental route for its third-string needs.

Notably, Sochan is only 23 years old despite having four seasons already under his belt. That means there's still potential to tap here, even after he averaged 11.4 ppg and 6.1 rpg over his first three campaigns.

Another benefit of Sochan is the fact that he doesn't have to be the permanent No. 3 center solution. Given he's still unsigned, that's an indication his interest isn't booming. This sets up the Knicks to get him on a veteran minimum contract, and perhaps without the full deal even guaranteed.

This would allow New York to at least address the frontcourt in some way for now, while still leaving trade and buyout signing routes fully open. The Knicks have already been active on the center trade market, but are being turned away, likely because other teams don't want to help the newly crowned champs.

Once it's months into the season, teams may no longer feel their current untouchables are worth holding onto. And they'll likely be more open to dealing with New York out of the immediate shadow of its Finals triumph. So popular targets like Moussa Dibate or Yves Missi may just require some patience.

In the meantime, Sochan would provide some frontcourt help at dirt-cheap cost and ensure the Knicks aren't empty-handed. He might not be the top choice for most, but his familiarity with the roster and acceptance of an inconsistent role do make it easier for the team to bring him over someone completely new.

The Knicks clearly liked his skill set enough to make him a priority target this past February, and his call on short notice in the NBA Finals was another positive reflection of the young Swiss Army Knife.

The longer New York goes without another frontcourt addition, the more it could suggest Sochan coming back and helping buy the team some time on the center trade front.