Signed, signed! Joining the Trail Blazers! The talented No. 9 pick teams up with Yang Hansen.

Here comes Yang Hansen's new teammate~

Insider Shams reports: Sochan joins the Trail Blazers on a one-year deal; according to Spurs reporter Dusty Garza, Sochan's contract is a non-guaranteed minimum salary, and he'll need to earn the final roster spot in training camp.

Sochan is the first player to secure a 2026 NBA championship ring, bar none, because he played for both the Spurs and the Knicks in the 2025-26 season, and these two teams met in this year's Finals, meaning no matter which team wins, he will receive a championship ring.

Notably, last season Sochan's salary with the Knicks was $806,600, while the championship bonus was $773,000. He played 16 regular-season games for the team, all off the bench, averaging 6.9 minutes, 2.8 points, and 2.1 rebounds per game. In this year's playoffs, he appeared in 8 games, all off the bench, averaging 3.3 minutes and 2.5 points per game.

Born on May 20, 2003, Sochan is a forward standing 2.03m tall with a 2.12m wingspan. He was the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2022 draft.

Early in his career with the Spurs, Sochan was considered a key developmental prospect and even played point guard for a time. He averaged double-digit points for three consecutive seasons from 2022 to 2025.

Actually, Sochan's biggest issue is not low basketball IQ or rough skills, but his failure to develop a reliable outside shooting threat. So far, in four NBA seasons, he has averaged 0.6 three-pointers per game at a 28.6% shooting rate, which is essentially negligible. This is clearly not acceptable in the small-ball era.

As the saying goes, players who cannot shoot threes, whether guards or big men, are doomed to be phased out of the NBA.

Fortunately, as mentioned, Sochan is only 23 years old and has excellent physical attributes, so he still managed to attract the Trail Blazers' interest. This shows that some teams are still willing to take a gamble on him. However, every opportunity is precious for him. If he fails to seize even one, he might have to go overseas at a young age to continue his basketball career.

The NBA is a jungle where the law of the strong prevails. Falling from heaven to hell can happen in an instant. So cherish every moment.