Jeremy Sochan's distraught reaction to Spurs trade paints sober reality

*Insert line about friendship here* Because friendships are special, no matter where you forge them, but in the NBA, relationships aren't the driving factor for business decisions. Jeremy Sochan just got a taste of that yesterday when ESPN Senior Insider Shams Charania reported that Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley would no longer be a part of the team. His reaction on social media was understandable.

This isn't the first time a player has been traded away or released from the franchise since he's been in uniform, but this one is probably a little different for the Polish Prince. He, Wesley, and Branham were all drafted in the same class. They entered the league together in 2022 and grew together. Now, two parts of the trio are headed to Washington, and Sochan will have to continue growing without them.

The Spurs' next chapter could be less patient

And it should be. That doesn't mean the evaluation process stops. It never stops. It just means that Brian Wright shouldn't wait several years before making a decision on whether or not to move off a guy who isn't living up to his potential. You can afford to be patient during the rebuilding years, but that time has officially passed.

You don't add Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk if you're still looking to rebuild. You do it because all good teams have a couple of glue guys who help make the whole system work to its optimal capacity. That's what Boris Diaw and Tiago Splitter were to the 2014 championship team. The difference is that the core now is much younger, and the guy in the middle has the potential to exceed the greatness of the legendary Tim Duncan.

Branham and Wesley were solid players, but they weren't going to help Wembanyama reach that point by staying on his team. But they are doing it by being the focal point of a trade to bring in a player who could.

Olynyk has made the playoffs five times in his career and played in the NBA Finals once. He has experience, and he's been known to have the occasional explosive night. During his time in Boston, the former Gonzaga standout dropped 26 points on 10/14 shots in game seven to help the Celtics knock off the Washington Wizards in the second round. That was in 2017, so it's not really recent, but let's fast-forward a few years.

Kelly was part of the Miami Heat team that advanced to the NBA Finals in 2020, where they faced LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers. They lost that series in five games, but Olynyk had games where he dropped 17 and 24 points coming off their bench.

None of this takes his advanced passing capabilities into account either. He's a savvy player with good vision, and he can deliver the rock like Amazon Prime.

The Spurs are in a great place with their roster right now. They still have three spots left and plenty of offseason to make any other changes, but fans should be encouraged by the moves they've made so far. They're shoring up weaknesses, giving Wembanyama backup, and getting ready to make a run.