Spurs are rapidly approaching the Jeremy Sochan reality they always feared

As the San Antonio Spurs continue with what has turned out to be a terrific season so far, it's still hard to ignore the fate of a fan favorite. Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan has been collecting DNPs at a surprising rate, with him not even earning spot minutes.

What's more surprising is that even in several recent blowout wins and losses, he hasn't even sniffed the floor during garbage time. That either means that he is deep in coach Mitch Johnson's doghouse or he and the Spurs are mutually working together on a trade.

I presumed the latter since keeping him around past the trade deadline as a depth piece only makes sense if they are willing to play him at least occasionally.

Instead, the likes of Lindy Waters and Carter Bryant have seen the floor ahead of Sochan in recent games. There was a non-zero chance that this would happen when he got drafted. Sochan was widely considered to be one of the best defenders in his draft class.

Even so, there were concerns about whether his jump shot would develop enough for him to become a good offensive player. It hasn't, and that seemingly all but confirms that his time in San Antonio is coming to an end.

San Antonio must trade Jeremy Sochan while they still can

There are a few ways the team can go with this. One would be to package Sochan in a larger deal for a star, though that seems increasingly unlikely.

Another option would be to move him in a trade package for a more reasonable upgrade, such as Herb Jones or Trey Murphy III. That appears to be far more likely than option one. However, it could be cost prohibitive given how many assets the New Orleans Pelicans may be seeking for those players.

Lastly would be to simply trade Sochan for maybe a small asset or for a matching salary. One example could be for Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale. Another would be New York Knicks center Guerschon Yabusele and a 2032 second-round pick.

Those would probably be more realistic trade targets, with O'Neale being the best-fitting option of those two players.

Don't expect Jeremy Sochan to be back on the Spurs next season

Figuring out a way to get something of value for Sochan would be key. Then again, him being out of the rotation may hurt his already free-falling trade value.

In fact, it may come to a point where San Antonio holds on to him for the remainder of the season and then doesn't extend him a qualifying offer in the offseason. That would be a missed opportunity, though not entirely unsurprising.

After all, the Spurs have historically been quick to cut bait on underperforming first-round picks. Just last summer, they traded Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley for an aging veteran in Kelly Olynyk.

A few seasons before, they cut Luka Samanic during the preseason in favor of a former second-round pick, Keita Bates-Diop. Then there is Joshua Primo—the point is, they seem to know exactly when to cut bait, and it could soon be time for Sochan.