Analyzing How Jeremy Sochan Could Fit With Wizards

The Washington Wizards have some open roster space left to play around with, a direct result of their recent Anthony Davis trade. In sending most of their third-string lineup over to the Dallas Mavericks, they received a combination of guards to accompany Davis, having already waived Dante Exum with a D'Angelo Russell decision still awaiting both sides' agreement on whatever's to come next.

Even with the tank still all-the-way-on in embracing the second half of the regular season, it would still be in the Wizards' best interest to keep an ear to the buyout market. They still have all of their young prospects to keep the coming months interesting on the court, but those prospects would appreciate some breathing room from a few more competent bench hands.

Teams across the association are still determining which veterans to cut bait with in the days following the trade deadline, and the San Antonio Spurs got the upcoming wave started themselves by releasing Jeremy Sochan, one of their own once-prized pieces, into the wild.

The San Antonio Spurs and forward Jeremy Sochan have agreed on his release to allow the 2023 All-Rookie team member to become a free agent, sources tell ESPN. Sochan is expected to decide among multiple interested teams. pic.twitter.com/ilLIWLz7gb
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 11, 2026

Sochan came into the league with some real hype, earning the ninth-overall draft slot of the 2022 class due to his defense and ancillary skills, but he's now going down as just another reason why that draft hasn't panned out. The Spurs have enjoyed top-five picks in each of the three seasons following Sochan's Spurs introduction, and once Victor Wembanyama and friends pushed the forward to the rotation's fringe, San Antonio saw little other reason to keep him around amidst their stepping into a contending role.

Now that he's back out in the open, ready to pick between which of his interested suitors he'll join, the Wizards would be best off at least holding a meeting on whether he's worth considering over their final 30 scheduled games.

How Would Sochan Fit in Washington?

He's much more known for his defense than his scoring ability, but he's far from incompetent on that end. As wild as his one-handed free throw form can look to an outsider, he's averaged at least 11 points per game in every season leading up to his final stint in San Antonio, where he plummeted all the way down to 4.1 points in a career-low 12.8 minutes per night.

And just one season after notching a slightly-above-average 58.9% true shooting without any semblance of a 3-ball, he's watched as his numbers careen with a continually-cratering jumper. That'll be a concern in a Washington lineup with no shortage of competent defenders and improved shooting touch.

San Antonio Spurs Forward Jeremy Sochan and the Washington Wizards — Feb 10, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) handles the ball against Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (8) during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

He's been a positive rebounder over his career, but those statistics, too, have bent out of shape during his fourth season. While his rate numbers have somewhat gone up, with his 7.3 boards per 36 minutes putting him just short of his career average, he'd need some major minutes as a Wizard to make any positive impact, and that's far from guaranteed on a squad set on doling out minutes based on which players deserve them the most.

Should the Wizards take a flier on Sochan, it would be by the same logic that the picked up Jaden Hardy in the Davis trade. Think of this as a second draft for these former top prospects who never got contract extensions with the team that they'd previously spent all of their careers with; should Washington's front office be impressed with what the still-young pieces have to offer, they'll have a chance to factor into whatever's next for the team when their All-Stars have returned to action.

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