The Blazers Waiving Jeremy Sochan is a Brutal NBA Speedrun

Jeremy Sochan getting waived by the Portland Trail Blazers is the kind of transaction that makes you double-take the timeline.

Marc Stein reported Saturday that Portland officially cut the former No. 9 overall pick, ending a roster experiment that barely had time to start.

"Marc Stein reported the transaction on X, noting the Blazers have waived Jeremy Sochan."

Going from a top-10 draft pick to getting waived twice in the same calendar year is a brutal speedrun. The San Antonio Spurs cut him loose back in February after he averaged just 4.1 points in 12.8 minutes per game. He caught a brief cup of coffee with the New York Knicks, then signed a non-guaranteed flyer with Portland.

Now, he is back on the open market before the regular season even tips off.

The Blazers are currently navigating their own preseason mess. Shaedon Sharpe is dealing with a meniscus issue, and Robert Williams III is already on the rest plan. You would think a rebuilding roster with available minutes would be the perfect landing spot for a young lottery talent.

Instead, Portland looked at their rotation after a 128-118 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors and decided they were all set.

For anyone looking at NBA futures, this is a harsh reminder of how fast the league moves on from draft pedigree. Oddsmakers do not care where you were picked three years ago when setting win totals, and front offices care even less. A non-guaranteed contract is basically a training camp tryout, and Sochan did not survive the final cuts.

Sochan now enters free agency with his stock at an absolute floor. Some team might take a swing on his defensive versatility on a minimum deal, but the runway for him to prove he belongs in a regular NBA rotation is getting dangerously short.