Trail Blazers Waive Jeremy Sochan

Sochan, who was on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract, will become an unrestricted free agent on Monday if he’s not claimed on waivers. His release leaves Portland with 17 players under contract — 14 on standard deals and three on two-way pacts.

Sochan, 23, was the ninth overall pick in the 2022 draft and spent his first three-and-a-half years in the NBA with the Spurs. The 6’8″ forward averaged at least 11 points per game in each of his first three seasons as San Antonio experimented with his role, deploying him for stretches as a point guard or a small-ball center.

However, Sochan fell out of the regular rotation during his fourth year in 2025/26 and was granted his release after the trade deadline, allowing him to sign with the Knicks. He didn’t play much in New York either, averaging just 6.9 minutes per game in 16 regular season appearances and 3.3 MPG in eight postseason outings, but he won his first NBA championship when his new team beat his old team in the NBA Finals.

In 228 total regular season games, Sochan has averaged 9.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per contest, with a shooting line of .470/.286/.725.

Portland’s decision to waive Sochan is somewhat surprising, given that the team doesn’t have much depth at forward behind starters Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara. Sochan also had a solid preseason, averaging 6.0 RPG and 3.8 RPG with a .625 FG% in 12.2 MPG across four outings.

The Blazers could’ve converted Sochan’s training camp deal to a standard, non-guaranteed contract and retained him as their 15th man to open the regular season while staying well below the luxury tax line. Instead, it looks as if the plan in Portland might be to start the season with an open spot on the 15-man roster.