A couple of days after the Los Angeles Lakers filled their final open roster spot by signing Kobe Bufkin to a two-year contract with a team option for next season, the Spurs waived Jeremy Sochan. He will be a free agent, and as ESPN's Shams Charania reported, the 22-year-old will have his pick as to where he ends up for the rest of the season, as multiple teams are interested in his services.
San Antonio tried to trade Sochan before last week's deadline after he had been out of the rotation, so while it's not a complete shock that the team waived him, it still caught most people by surprise.
He recorded four minutes in garbage time during the Spurs' 138-125 win over the Mavericks on Feb. 7, but before that, two weeks had passed since his last game, when he recorded four minutes in a blowout win over the Bucks. Mitch Johnson has turned to rookie Carter Bryant over Sochan.
What has held Sochan back most, aside from the Spurs playing him out of position (he's not a point guard), is his lack of a shot. He shot 25.7% from three on 1.3 attempts per game this season. He attempted a career-high 3.1 threes in 2023-24, shooting 30.8% from deep, which is his career best, and it's not good.
His defensive versatility is where he stands out, and that would've alone made him a good candidate for LA's final roster spot.
Lakers missed out on signing forward Jeremy Sochan
Los Angeles made a low-risk move on signing Bufkin, who was the No. 15 pick in the 2023 draft. He played in 17 games across his first two seasons in Atlanta before the front office dumped his contract in a trade with Brooklyn during the offseason. The Nets waived him, and before the Lakers signed him to a 10-day contract last month, he was dominating in the G League.
If LA had waited just a little longer, it would've had a shot at signing a more proven NBA player, one who could've been part of the future. Sochan needs to develop a shot to make that happen (it could've helped him to have a three-point specialist as a head coach), but again, he could've stepped in immediately and helped out on the defensive end, at least.
The Lakers will now sit back and watch teams like the Suns and Knicks go after Sochan, whom Michael Scotto of HoopsHype previously reported were interested in the 22-year-old forward before the deadline. Hopefully, this won't be a case of what could've been.