Jeremy Sochan Waived by Trail Blazers Days Before 2026-27 NBA Season

The Portland Trail Blazers waived forward Jeremy Sochan on October 17, 2026, according to the team's transaction announcement reported by Hoops Rumors. The move leaves the only Polish player in the NBA without a team roughly 72 hours before the 2026-27 NBA season tips off on October 20.

What happened

Sochan had signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract with Portland during the offseason, a deal type commonly used for training-camp invitees who are not guaranteed a roster spot. He appeared in four preseason games for the Blazers, averaging 6.0 points in about 12 minutes per game while shooting 62.5% from the field, according to Hoops Rumors. Polish outlet Eurosport.tvn24.pl reported he scored 10 points in his final preseason outing against the Golden State Warriors.

Despite that efficiency, Portland chose not to keep him on the regular-season roster. Hoops Rumors noted the decision was somewhat unexpected given the Blazers' thin depth at forward behind starters Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara. With Sochan's release, Portland's roster stands at 14 standard contracts and three two-way deals, putting the team in regular-season compliance, per the same report.

Contract status and what's next

Because his deal was non-guaranteed, Portland owed Sochan no further compensation upon release. Under NBA rules, any team can claim a waived player with a non-guaranteed contract within 48 hours; if unclaimed, he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Hoops Rumors reported that Sochan would clear waivers and reach free agency on Monday if no club submitted a claim.

A season of two finals rosters

This is not Sochan's first abrupt roster change in 2026. He had spent three-and-a-half seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, who selected him 9th overall in the 2022 NBA draft, before the Spurs waived him in February 2026 following the trade deadline, as described by Heavy.com. He then signed with the New York Knicks, appearing in 16 regular-season games (6.9 minutes per game) and eight playoff games.

The Knicks went on to beat the Spurs 4-1 in the 2026 NBA Finals, according to Wikipedia, giving Sochan an NBA championship ring even though he played only about three minutes combined across the five Finals games, per Eurosport.tvn24.pl. Over 228 regular-season games with San Antonio and New York combined, Sochan has averaged 9.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists, per Hoops Rumors.

Background: who is Jeremy Sochan

Sochan, born May 20, 2003, in Guymon, Oklahoma, holds Polish and American nationality; his mother Aneta Sochan played basketball professionally in Poland, according to his Wikipedia profile. He was raised largely in England, playing youth basketball for the Solent Kestrels before moving to Indiana for high school. He represents Poland in international competition and, per the same profile, became the youngest player ever to play for the Polish national team during EuroBasket 2022 qualification.

At 6-foot-8, Sochan is known in part for an unconventional one-handed free-throw technique he adopted in December 2022 at the suggestion of then-Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, according to Wikipedia.

Unanswered questions

As of this report, no NBA team has announced a waiver claim or a new signing for Sochan, and neither Portland nor Sochan's representatives have issued a public statement beyond the transaction confirmation. Polish outlet Sportowefakty.wp.pl, which first flagged the move, noted the release came as a surprise given his preseason form and said it remains unclear which, if any, team will pick him up before opening night.