The San Antonio Spurs have decided to waive former lottery pick Jeremy Sochan in the aftermath of the NBA trade deadline, league sources confirmed to ClutchPoints on Wednesday afternoon.
Sochan, 22, was the ninth-overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Spurs. An All-Rookie team performer during the 2022-23 season, Sochan has not been a main part of head coach Mitch Johnson's rotations this season and has logged just 49 minute since the start of January.
Upon clearing waivers, Sochan will be one of the featured names in the NBA buyout market, with several playoff-contending teams expected to inquire about the young forward. Before the trade deadline, the New York Knicks were one of the teams who held interest in acquiring Sochan.
ESPN was first to report Sochan's release from the team.
Once the trade deadline passed and Sochan, who had hoped to be traded, remained on the Spurs' roster, there were no indications that he was going to be bought out. Sochan intended to remain in San Antonio and enter the offseason as a restricted free agent.
However, after remaining out of the team's rotations and not having a clear role, both sides decided it was best to move on now and allow Sochan the opportunity to join a new team before the offseason.
A variety of teams will pursue Sochan over the next 48 hours before he clears waivers, and it's not hard to imagine he already has a couple of teams lined up to speak with about a minimum contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
Through the first two seasons of his career, Sochan was heavily utilized by the Spurs for his defensive abilities at multiple positions. Although he has shot just 28.7 percent from 3-point range for his career, he can instantly make a difference coming off the bench for teams expected to contend in the postseason.
Appearing in 28 of the Spurs' 53 games this season, Sochan averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in roughly 12.8 minutes per game.
The Spurs now have one open roster spot that can be utilized to sign a player in the buyout market.
