The Trail Blazers waived forward Jeremy Sochan on Saturday, putting an end to his brief time in Portland. It's a somewhat surprising decision considering Sochan played well enough throughout preseason to earn the final roster spot.
He just came off a six-point, three-rebound, one-assist night in the Blazers' 128-118 lone preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday.
Ultimately, the Blazers decided the flexibility that comes from keeping the spot open was more valuable than Sochan. The buyout market doesn't seem like an intriguing path considering how many teams already have their rosters solidified heading into the season. But it does make things easier should Portland make a midseason trade, potentially allowing suitors to consolidate pieces.
Portland initially brought in Sochan as added frontcourt competition for Micah Potter, whose deal is non-guaranteed after being waived by the Indiana Pacers. It proved to be a good pairing given the contrasting playstyles between Sochan and Potter. Micah Nori could turn to Sochan for energy, defense, and overall intangibles. He also had the luxury of adding more shooting and floor spacing without compromising size in Potter.
Nori will no longer have that same dimension or flexibility in the frontcourt with Sochan now out of the picture. That's a more significant loss than they seem to realize and should've been more of a priority.
Jeremy Sochan was earning a spot in Portland
Portland has lost a key part of its defensive identity this summer, trending towards a guard-heavy lineup following Damian Lillard's return and the surprising trade for Ja Morant. Fortunately, they still have defensive-minded pieces in the frontcourt to help compensate, most notably Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III.
Still, Sochan was an underrated move on the margins to help maintain some of that defensive identity. He was proving to be a good fit as an end-of-bench player who can contribute to winning without needing the ball in his hands, a trait that's even more important in Portland with the amount of ball-handlers and playmakers they now have.
The Blazers will have a challenging time finding someone who was such a seamless fit for this roster as a role player as Sochan. Throughout preseason, it genuinely felt like he was already a part of this 15-man roster. One small but memorable example was a postgame interview Sochan did with Sidy Cissoko, where he had his arm around Cissoko's shoulder the entire time.
Sochan wasn't becoming a huge offseason steal by any means. One storyline was Portland betting on Sochan's upside as someone just a few years removed from being a top-ten pick out of Baylor. While that never came to fruition, he was still fitting into this roster quite well. The defensive floor and versatility he provided this roster helped fill in some of the gaps created by Portland's moves this offseason.
The Blazers will miss that more than they realize this season, which is why it ultimately wasn't in their best interest to unnecessarily move on from Sochan.
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