The Portland Trail Blazers moved on from Jeremy Sochan on Saturday morning, waiving the forward as they trim their roster ahead of the regular season opener.
Sochan was on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, and Portland’s roster now sits at 17 players, including three two-way contracts. The former lottery pick had won the NBA championship in June with the New York Knicks.
His preseason with the Blazers offered a little bit of everything, even if the minutes and role never fully settled. Sochan played in four exhibition games for Portland and turned in his best scoring showing against Golden State on Oct. 7, when he posted 10 points in nine minutes. He shot 4-for-6 from the field, hit both of his 3-point attempts and finished with a +12, the second-best mark on the team.
A few days later against the Super League Basketball’s London Lions on Oct. 12, Sochan logged 20 minutes and filled the box score with eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal while going 4-for-6 shooting. His usage then dipped in the next game against Sacramento on Tuesday, when he played seven minutes - tied for the fewest on the team with Branden Carlson - and did not score, though he did collect two rebounds and two assists.
In San Francisco on Friday night, Sochan got 12 minutes and added six points, three rebounds, one assist and one block. He went 2-for-3 from the floor and stayed perfect from deep at 2-for-2.
Portland’s decision came after taking a low-risk shot on a player with a fairly long NBA résumé. Sochan averaged 11 points per game over three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and grabbed more than six rebounds per game in each of his last two years there. But the Spurs’ experiment with Sochan - which even included a run at point guard - faded after his role shrank last season, and he was waived in February before New York signed him soon after.
His stint with the Knicks barely got off the ground. Sochan appeared in just 16 regular season games and played fewer than seven minutes per contest.
Across his career, Sochan has averaged 9.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 turnovers per game while shooting 47 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from 3-point range and 72.5 percent at the line.
In Other News...
Blazers Just Opened A Roster Question At Forward
The Blazers have opened up another roster spot at forward by requesting waivers on Jeremy Sochan, who arrived on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract. If he clears waivers, Sochan would move on as an unrestricted free agent, leaving Portland to keep sorting through its frontcourt depth as the roster picture continues to settle.
Portland now sits at 17 players under contract, with 14 on standard deals and three on two-way contracts, so the move does more than just trim a camp body. It gives the front office a little more flexibility, but it also leaves the team with one fewer option on the wing and at forward as the Blazers continue shaping the group they want to carry forward. [Read more 🡒]
Ja Morant Is Already Raising One Big Blazers Question
The early returns on Ja Morant have given the Trail Blazers something they have not always had in recent seasons: a clear sense that a major swing might actually move the rebuild forward. Portland gave up Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to get him, and even in the preseason there have been signs that Morant can sharpen both ends of the floor in ways that fit the roster around him. For a team that has spent plenty of time trying to find the right star-level fit, that matters.
What makes this move especially notable is how closely it ties to Joe Cronins bigger track record. The Blazers general manager has already shown a willingness to make bold trades, and those decisions have helped raise the ceiling of the rebuild before. With Morant now in the mix, the bigger question is no longer whether Portland can add talent, but how far this version of the roster can go once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]