Jeremy Sochan says goodbye to Spurs fans, plans to sign with the Knicks
That didn’t take long. Less than 24 hours after the Spurs waived forward Jeremy Sochan, ESPN’s Shams Charania is reporting he to sign with one of many potential suitors: the New York Knicks. The Knicks were the main team listed as a potential trade partner for Sochan before the trade deadline, but talks reportedly stalled because the Spurs did not want to give up any draft picks or take on Guerschon Yabusele’s player option for next season. Now, with cleared cap space, the Knicks get him without giving up anything, and the Spurs keep all their draft capital and still have clean books for this summer.
It was a sad ending to what started as a great relationship between draft pick and city. Sochan immediately became a fan favorite with his funny personality, silly antics, and hardnosed style of play on the court, especially on defense. He stayed consistent through his first three season despite battling injuries and playing out of positions, but he fell out of the rotation this season as other players’ strengths (especially on offense) became bigger assets than his defense while the team improved overall.
The breakup kind of reminds of Malik Rose back in 2005. He was a beloved fan favorite, but the Spurs needed more size at center to compete with bigger teams for a championship, and he was traded for Nazr Mohammed. Fans hated it and even booed Gregg Popovich at the next game, but it was the right move in the long term and was soon forgiven as they went on to win the championship that year. I know fans are similarly upset with Mitch Johnson for how things turned out, but sometimes you just have to make basketball decisions, even if they aren’t the most popular ones.
To this day, Rose is still beloved in San Antonio and frequents the city and team events often, and maybe someday that will be the case with Sochan as well. On his way out, he sent a message to Spurs fans on social media:
To the city of San Antonio… When I was drafted, I didn’t realize how quickly this would feel like home. I’ve moved around a lot throughout my life, and this is the longest I’ve been in the same place since I was 15 years old. Through the ups and downs, I learned a lot, kept growing, and always stayed true to myself. This community and the fans embraced me from day one! It’s bigger than basketball and I’m forever grateful. I’ll always have love for San Antonio! Everything happens for a reason & time will tell…
Now I’m sad all over again. Thank you for everything, Jeremy. It took almost no time to endear yourself to the city of San Antonio and Spurs fans. And for one last time, as the old saying goes: Once a Spur, always a Spur. Good luck wherever your career takes you.
