The Portland Trail Blazers have signed recent NBA champion Jeremy Sochan to a one-year deal, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Saturday. Blazers insider Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report adds that Sochan's deal is non-guaranteed, meaning he'll join training camp with a chance to make the final roster.
His direct competition could be Micah Potter, another offseason addition Portland made in the frontcourt.
Potter was previously with the Indiana Pacers, who waived him to make space to sign former Blazer Larry Nance Jr. Because the Pacers had already picked up Potter's $2.8 million team option, Portland will assume that same salary, which, like Sochan, is non-guaranteed.
Blazers bring in non-guaranteed players to compete with Micah Potter
In theory, Portland has enough spots for both Sochan and Potter on its 15-man roster. But as NBA insider Jake Fischer recently reported on The Stein Line, the plan is for the Blazers to bring in several players on non-guaranteed deals to compete with Potter for a spot.
"Word is that the Trail Blazers are looking to bring in several players on non-guaranteed contracts to compete alongside Micah Potter for a final roster spot after Portland recently claimed Potter off waivers,"Â Fischer wrote.
It appears that Sochan is the first of what could be more non-guaranteed signings. It depends on who else the Blazers can bring into training camp. But as currently constructed, it could be beneficial to bring in both Sochan and Potter, given their contrasting strengths.
While the Blazers have quite the center logjam after extending Robert Williams III to a three-year deal and signing Branden Carlson, Sochan and Potter are capable of playing the power forward position. That's an area Portland desperately needed to address this summer, especially after moving on from Jerami Grant and, to a lesser extent, Kris Murray.
In a perfect world, Portland would be able to come away with a two-way forward who is a hybrid of Sochan and Potter. Sochan's impact on the defensive end would bolster their identity, with Potter's shooting to give them much-needed floor spacing. Then again, there's a reason these are non-guaranteed players fighting for an end-of-bench spot on the roster.
Ultimately, it could be in their best interest to retain both and have new head coach Micah Nori swap offense for defense when required.
One thing Potter has working in his favor is his experience at 28 years old, which should appeal to a team looking to make a deeper playoff run next season. If the Blazers are forced to pick between the two, we'd lean towards his offensive fit and ability to contribute right away. But as a team straddling two timelines, the upside of taking on a former top ten pick in Sochan has to be intriguing as well.
We'll see who else the Blazers decide to bring along as increased competition for Potter, but as Fischer's report suggested, this Sochan addition could just be the beginning.
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