CHICAGO, IL - MAY 12: General Manager Brian Wright of the San Antonio Spurs looks on during 2025 NBA Draft Lottery on May 12, 2025 in at Chicago, Illinois at McCormick Convention Center. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, Use r is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images The Spurs didn’t do anything at the deadline. Was that the right choice? Marilyn Dubinski: I think so, especially if there wasn’t a good offer to be had.  From a personal standpoint, I love everyone on this roster and wasn’t anxious for anyone to be moved.  If anything, I was sad but understood why Jeremy Sochan’s group asked for permission to explore the market.  Ultimately, it sounds like teams wanted more for him than the Spurs were willing to give or take on (either a first round pick, or, in Guerschon Yabusele’s case, an extra year), so they were smart to wait. I see this as a “learn what they have before making a big move” season, and that’s exactly what they’re doing. Mark Barrington: Obviously, I don’t have access to the same information as the Spurs front office, but from my viewpoint, it seems like they probably took the safest route, and probably the right one. The team definitely needs a power forward who can bang in the paint and who can also provide a perimeter scoring threat to unclog the paint for the Spurs’ collection of guards and small wings. But guys who match that template aren’t easy or cheap to get. I was hoping for a John Collins deal, but apparently the Clippers were too distracted by internal drama to make that happen, or the cost to pry him loose would have been too much for the Spurs to pay. I still think the Spurs are a year or two away from being true contenders, so making a big win-now move is not necessarily the smart thing to do. If they can pick up that player in the draft or in the offseason, then the patience will pay off. I want it now, but I think Brian Wright can afford to be a bit more patient. Jeje Gomez: Now that we’ve had time to see what was out there, it seems it was the right call. It doesn’t feel like they missed out on a deal that would have made them better without costing them too much. The closest to it might be sending out some cash for Jock Landale to bolster the center depth, but at that point, we are just talking about the fringes of the roster. Not moving Sochan after the reports of his availability were made public was a little surprising, but interested teams were probably fine just waiting until the summer instead of giving up assets, and attaching a pick to move someone when there’s no need, cap-wise, wouldn’t have made sense. It would have been nice to upgrade, but it will have to wait until the offseason. J.R. Wilco: First, I’m going to take issue with the “right choice” wording, which assumes that PATFO decided not to make a move when it is not at all clear that was the case. There were some rumors, and there’s also a strong history of dealing guys who’ve made it known they’d like to be elsewhere — and I’m not merely talking about The Nephew. So since Sochan made it known that he’d prefer a change of scenery, I assume the team tried to deal him. If they couldn’t find any takers, or a taker who’d offer what they think Jeremy’s market value was, then I don’t expect them to bend over backwards to make it happen for him. Second, I mean, what did the fanbase expect? The team is asset rich, but they’re not getting spendthrifty with it. They could use a starting power forward with size and shooting ability and they could use some depth at center. Outside of that, the roster is pretty well set. This is the same team that ignored all of the talk about dealing for Trae Young and every other star that the league’s cognoscenti tried to push down their throats as soon as it was obvious that Wemby had the goods. I find it difficult to a) laud the team for avoiding a rash move while staying the course to grab Castle, Harper and Bryant, and then b) dump on them because they didn’t make a deal at the trade deadline that I don’t even know was on the table. What I’m saying is that standing pat was the right move. The Spurs have a full roster, but could create a spot easily. Is there anyone in the buyout market or who could be waived soon that would make them better? Dubinski: If they truly feel they need to add depth pieces, it would be at the forward or center spots.  They could have a reunion with Kyle Anderson, who is a bit more of a reliable shooter than Sochan, but with Sochan still here, I’d play him over Slo Mo, so there’s really no need beyond a good story. At center, there aren’t too many options out there who would be an upgrade over Kelly Olynyk, but a couple would be Mason Plumlee or potentially Dario Saric, who is not waived yet but expected to be. Still, no one that screams the Spurs need to make a move for them. Barrington: Boris Diaw joined the Spurs two days after he was bought out of his contract and waived by the Bobcats in March 2012, and became a key role player in the 2013 and 2014 title runs. There are players out there that can make a difference, but I don’t see a Boris in this year’s crop. There are mostly older players who don’t fit the Spurs timeline. I maybe would think about taking a flyer on Chris Boucher, who has length and athleticism but isn’t much of a scorer, and maybe he’s an upgrade over Bismack … well, I’m talking myself out of it. I look forward to seeing what Brian Wright is going to do. Gomez: The problem with the buyout market for the Spurs is that they don’t have minutes to offer. Replacing Biyombo with, say, Plumlee as the fourth or at best third big man spot would be an upgrade, but it is probably not intriguing for Plumlee, and it might not be worth the trouble for San Antonio, since Biyombo seems to be respected in the locker room. The only type of move that would make sense would be one that brings in someone the front office thinks could contribute beyond this season. I’ve always liked Haywood Highsmith, but he has missed the entire year with injury. A Malaki Branham reunion would probably be too messy. There just aren’t a lot of intriguing candidates worth potentially disrupting the locker room chemistry. Wilco: If Olynyk can’t get playing time in San Antonio (and remember how he was contributing good minutes to the team during the early season), then how can anyone on the buyout market? This is how good the team is now, which kind of puts us back to the Draft and Stash days, when it wasn’t odd for multiple years’ worth of picks to be in Europe to improve because the team didn’t have the minutes for them. Corollary: think about how quickly Dylan and Carter have developed in their rookie years, and realize that the team already sees them as better options than Jeremy and Kelly. Jeremy Sochan is still around despite having been given permission to seek a new home. What should the Spurs do with him? Dubinski: I’m repeating myself, but my ideal world would be the Spurs figure things out with him, he’s a rotational player again, re-signs on the cheap, and all is happy in the world.  Alas, that probably won’t happen, especially with Carter Bryant starting to come into his own, so it then comes down to if they think they can get a sign-and-trade deal done for Sochan this summer.  If so, they probably need to start showcasing him again (health permitting) to up his value, or if the goal is to give him his qualifying offer let the market determine his value, keep it low. Or they could just let him walk this summer. I don’t know, all I do know is I’m sad about the entire thing. Barrington: In a perfect world, Jeremy Sochan would find his offense and shooting touch and become a rotation player for the Spurs. But he just hasn’t looked that great in the limited playing minutes he’s had so far this season and maybe it’s time for a change of scenery to reinvigorate his career. I just want to see the guy succeed, and if it’s somewhere else than in San Antonio, I’m OK with that, except in games he plays against the Spurs.  But for this season, I expect him to remain with the team and serve as injury insurance, and to provide depth. He’s not a great fit in the current roster, but I would support the coaching staff trying to put him into roles where he can succeed. The best-case scenario is that he’ll have a basketball renaissance and it will be springtime for Sochan and Poland, and everybody wins. Gomez: The answer is probably “nothing,” which is a little sad. I don’t think there’s a way for Sochan to find his way back into the rotation unless there’s a major injury that forces Mitch Johnson’s hand. Waiving him is probably the best for Sochan, as he would be able to try to find minutes elsewhere, but no one can blame the Spurs for wanting to have him around just in case an injury does happen. He might just have to stick around until the summer, when he’ll likely leave unceremoniously in free agency. Wilco: Ahh, Jeremy. It wasn’t even three years ago that he was in New York doing interviews at the draft as the Spurs picked Victor first. There was so much to look forward to, but the shot never came around and the league has gotten to the point where point guards who can’t defend and power forwards who can’t shoot have turned into dinosaurs because they’re quite simply unplayable. I hope #10 can find his shot someday, and soon, but until then there’s not really much of a place for him on the Spurs and they’ll either waive him or let him go at the end of his contract. ...read more read less