Jeremy Sochan He had offers from teams in Europe and Australia, but would like to wait for another NBA opportunity, he said Mark J. Spears from Andscape.
Sochan was refused after spending training camp and the preseason on an Exhibit 9 contract with the Trail Blazers. He currently plays in the G League with the Texas Legends, the Mavericks affiliate, after is selected No. 1 overall pick in the G League draft last month.
Sochan hopes to make the Mavericks roster someday. He is also eligible to sign a deal with any other NBA team, as the holding of a player’s rights in the G League is separate from the control of a player’s rights in the NBA. Sochan is no longer eligible for a two-way deal as he has four years of NBA service.
“I will always be proud of my journey because it is very unique.” Sochan said. “That’s the situation I’m in right now. It’s been weird being a little bit unemployed, but it is what it is. And I’m going to work and be ready and do everything I can to prove myself. And most importantly, the people around me know I’m still hungry. I’m still the same guy.”
Sochan was selected ninth overall in the 2022 NBA draft and spent his first three and a half years with the Spurs. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged at least 11 points per game in each of his first three seasons as San Antonio experimented with his role, using him as a point guard or center for long stretches.
However, Sochan fell out of the regular rotation during the fourth year of the 2025/26 season and was released at the trade deadline, allowing him to sign with the Knicks. He also didn’t play much in New York, averaging 6.9 minutes per game in 16 regular season games and 3.3 mpg in eight postseason games, but he won his first NBA championship when his new team beat his old team in the NBA Finals.
“In a way, it was a full-circle moment,” Sochan said. “With the Spurs, there was a lot of losing, growth, the first couple of years. And to be in the moment of the playoffs and in the finals against the team I started with was crazy. I couldn’t describe the emotions. It was crazy. The last game I played the last (eight) seconds. It was definitely crazy.”
Sochan thought he would make the final Trail Blazers roster this fall, even though he didn’t have a guaranteed contract.
“I can’t tell you that I saw it” Sochan said about the refusal. “As the last couple of years have gone by, I understand why this happened and I can see why. It’s funny because when you look at NBA teams and the way the rosters look, it’s a mix of players and I definitely think I belong on an NBA roster.”
Sochan said the Knicks have been interested in him as a training camp invitee, and he’s also heard from the Clippers.
