What’s Next for Former Lottery Pick Jeremy Sochan After Release From Spurs?

On Wednesday the NBA free agent market received an unexpected influx of talent.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported today that the Spurs had agreed to release Jeremy Sochan from his contract, freeing up the forward to enter the free agent pool and sign with a team of his choosing. Sochan, 22, was the ninth pick in the 2022 NBA draft and spent the last three years in San Antonio, first working under Gregg Popovich and then current coach Mitch Johnson. His name popped up in trade rumors this year after he fell out of the rotation but the Spurs were unable to find a taker, thus leading to his release.

Sochan is a young, bouncy forward whose intriguing skillset earned him a spot on the 2023 All-Rookie team. Over his first three NBA seasons the Baylor product averaged about 11 points per game and showed off a good level of defenisve versatility, but he failed to stand out in a crowded forward rotation in San Antonio this season. Sochan played sporadically over the last few months as more minutes were allocated to veteran Harrison Barnes and, in recent weeks, rookie Carter Bryant.

Sochan is perhaps best known for his colorful hair and willingness to shoot free throws one-handed. He’s an energetic defender and was a pretty good rebounder last year. Sochan should have multiple teams interested in his services given his youth and athletic talents.

Potential landing spots for Jeremy Sochan

As Charania noted in his report, Sochan is expected to choose from “multiple interested teams” to sign with in free agency. Which teams might those be?

Any team lacking in frontcourt depth is undoubtedly checking in on Sochan. But not every team in that situation is capable of signing the free agent at the moment due to financial constraints. The Lakers, for example, could certainly use Sochan’s defensive-mindedness on the wing given how poorly the team has performed on that end. But they are hard-capped at the first apron and have only about $600,000 to spend; even minimum deals are worth twice that in today’s NBA.

Taking all that into consideration the Bulls seem like a team who should be interested. Chicago acquired a bunch of small guards at the trade deadline and need more size on the court in general. They are, unfortunatley, pot-committed to Patrick Williams but the team’s deadline strategy was based around the idea of taking fliers on talented young players (Anfernee Simons, Rob Dillingham), so it wouldn’t be shocking to see them pursue Sochan in that same vein.

Other candidates include: the Grizzlies, who traded away Jaren Jackson Jr. and should now be mining talent wherever they can find it as they embark upon a rebuild; the Wizards, who have to figure out what the roster around Anthony Davis and Trae Young looks like next year; and the Pacers, who severely lack size and lost both their young wing projects at the deadline (Benedict Mathurin to trade, Johnny Furphy to a torn ACL).

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