The Phoenix Suns were linked to Jeremy Sochan last season after he was let go by the San Antonio Spurs, but he opted to sign with the New York Knicks instead. At the time, that felt like a blow for the Suns, missing out on the opportunity to land a young forward for next to nothing. In hindsight, and with Sochan having just been waived once again, not getting him worked out perfectly.
Other role players stepped up for Suns when given opportunity
Still just 23 years old, Sochan was recently let go by the Portland Trail Blazers after they brought him in over the summer on a camp deal. For a franchise that has a ton of lead guards and is lacking in areas that Sochan, in theory, could have helped them fill, this tells you how far his stock has fallen since being waived by the Spurs.
We'll never know if Suns' Head Coach Jordan Ott could have turned him into a weapon off the bench, but instead of that happening, we got Oso Ighodaro getting more run, and he is now on track to begin the season as their starting center. He has also put himself in position to get an early extension on his rookie deal as well, and should that happen, it will be deserved.
Ryan Dunn is another player who profited from Sochan not being brought to The Valley, as he almost certainly would have been waived himself by now if that had happened. Instead, he showed throughout preseason play that he has the ability to help the back end of Coach Ott's rotation. Dunn has his flaws, and a lack of consistency is at the top of that list, but burying a former first-round pick in favor of Sochan does not look like it would have worked out, given that he has been waived again.
Even Jordan Goodwin was able to show that he could play with other guards and defend bigger opponents, landing a new contract to return to Phoenix over the offseason. Sochan and Goodwin never would have been in direct competition for minutes, and yet Goodwin's ability to play well with anyone and give Coach Ott different lineup combinations would have been stunted.
Suns must resist using 15th roster spot on Sochan in future
The Suns recently trimmed their roster down to 14 players, and in theory, Sochan could be added in the future. But the front office has shown they can identify cheap talent who can actually help this team win games, such as Pat Spencer and Duop Reath. Jeremy Sochan is hardly a major "what if?" question for the organization, but missing out on his services worked out brilliantly for the Suns.
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