The Spurs waived Jeremy Sochan on Wednesday, and the following day, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the forward plans to sign with the Knicks. If you’re wondering what that has to do with the Chicago Bulls, other than New York being in the same conference, it goes back to Guerschon Yabusele.
Not only is he the reason the Knicks were able to trade for Jose Alvarado (who had 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting from three on Wednesday), but their salary-shedding moves before the deadline also helped them land Sochan on a veteran’s minimum deal. None of that would’ve been possible without Yabusele agreeing to waive his $5.8 million player option for next season.
He was out of New York’s rotation, and he wanted another chance to play again. The Knicks wanted to boost their depth for what they hope will be a championship run. Both sides got what they wanted.
Guerschon Yabusele helped the Knicks land Jeremy Sochan
New York actually discussed a deal with San Antonio before the deadline involving Yabusele and Sochan, but as SNY’s Ian Begley reported, those conversations didn’t progress into anything serious.
The Spurs kept Sochan, who has been out of Mitch Johnson’s rotation, past the deadline. It seemed like he’d stay put in San Antonio for the rest of the season, but in somewhat of a surprise move, they cut ties with the No. 9 pick in the 2022 draft. Charania reported that there were 10 teams interested in signing the 22-year-old.
Sochan shot 25.7% from three in 28 games for the Spurs this season, so as you can see, his shooting is a problem. His defensive versatility is why so many teams were interested in him, and he can help the Knicks take care of the ball, too.
If Sochan and Alvarado help New York end its 50+ year championship drought this season, Yabusele will never have to pay for anything whenever he visits NYC. Knicks fans already appreciated him for doing the unthinkable and giving up his guaranteed money for next season. The Sochan signing gives them another reason to love him.
Yabusele didn’t just do New York a favor, as the 30-year-old is averaging 10.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game for the Bulls, shooting 41% from the field and 41.7% from three. He isn’t part of Chicago’s long-term future at 30 years old, but he’s doing far more than he would’ve had he stayed in New York. Hopefully, it will work in his favor this summer.