Jeremy Sochan has stumbled into one of the strangest win‑win scenarios in recent NBA history. He started the season with the Spurs, will finish it with the Knicks, and now finds himself hovering on the edge of a championship ring as the two teams meet in the Finals. Whether or not New York finally snaps its title drought, Sochan will have gone from waived role player to championship ring‑wearing in a matter of months.
The journey started with a pretty cold reality check in San Antonio. After opening his career as an important piece of the rebuild, Sochan’s minutes fell off a cliff this season as the Spurs pivoted toward other young forwards, including 2025 lottery pick Carter Bryant. He’d played in only 28 of San Antonio’s first 53 games, averaging 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and just over 12 minutes per night, a steep drop from the double‑digit scoring and 25‑plus minutes he had logged in prior years. For a former ninth overall pick who’d made an All‑Rookie team, that was a loud signal that the organization no longer saw him as part of the long‑term core.
Both sides tried to find a trade before the deadline, but interested teams were clearly more intrigued by Sochan at a lower number than by his expiring salary slot. Reports indicated that any deal would have required San Antonio to attach draft capital, something the Spurs had no appetite for in the middle of a long‑term build. Instead, they chose the cleaner option: agree to a buyout, waive him, open a roster spot, and give Sochan an early shot at rebuilding his value elsewhere rather than letting him rot at the end of the bench until free agency. It was a ruthless basketball decision, but also — depending on your perspective — a pragmatic favor to the player.
That decision is how Sochan landed in New York, and that’s where the story turns from harsh to almost absurdly lucky. Once he cleared waivers, Sochan’s camp reportedly had interest from around ten teams, but he chose the Knicks, who had already kicked the tires on him at the trade deadline. New York signed him to a minimum deal for the rest of the season, using its last roster spot to bet on his blend of size, defensive versatility and occasional on‑ball playmaking as an upside swing off the bench. In other words: the Knicks didn’t bring him in to be a centerpiece; they brought him in as a matchup piece and developmental lottery ticket.
Given that context, it’s fair to say Sochan is unlikely to see big minutes on this Knicks team with everything on the line in June. Tom Thibodeau historically runs tight playoff rotations, and New York already has established pecking orders on the wing and in the frontcourt. Sochan’s modest Spurs production this year — far below starter level — doesn’t exactly scream plug‑and‑play Finals contributor. Most nights, his contribution may be more about film, practice intensity, and staying ready than about racking up box‑score numbers.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t actually help tilt this series in the margins. The Knicks like versatile defenders who can guard up and down the positional spectrum, and Sochan at his best fits that mold: a 6‑foot‑8, switchable forward who can credibly defend multiple positions, rebound, and handle the ball well enough to keep the offense flowing in second units. In a long series, injuries, foul trouble, or a bad matchup can force coaches to dig deeper into the bench than they’d planned; if that moment comes, Sochan’s ability to bring energy, defend, and make connective plays could buy the Knicks a few crucial possessions. Those are exactly the kinds of quiet contributions that, in hindsight, everyone points to as championship plays.
Here’s the thing, folks: Layered on top of all this is the Knicks’ own historical weight. New York has not lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy since 1973, when Willis Reed, Walt Frazier and company took down the Lakers for the franchise’s second and most recent title. Five decades of near‑misses, heartbreak and irrelevance have turned any realistic shot at a championship into a city‑wide emotional event. If this group finally breaks through, every player on that roster — stars and deep reserves alike — will become part of Knicks lore in a way that’s hard to replicate anywhere else.
With that . . . Fans have latched onto the fact that the two teams he suited up for this season are meeting in the Finals, creating the perception that he’s destined to leave 2026 with jewelry either way. His official championship résumé will only change if the Knicks actually win; while a former team can choose to give a player a ring as a courtesy, the league doesn’t treat that the same as being on the active champion’s roster. He has went from being squeezed out of a rotation in San Antonio to having a front‑row seat to a Finals run and a real chance at becoming a ring‑wearing Knick for the first time since 1973.
If you cannot play with them, then root for them!