Southwest Notes: Sochan, Spurs, Mavs, Pelicans

The Spurs were widely expected to make a move this week involving fourth-year forward Jeremy Sochan, who had “hoped to find a new home” at Thursday’s trade deadline, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Instead, Sochan remains in San Antonio, as the Spurs were one of just three teams around the NBA not to make a single deal during the days leading up to the deadline.

According to Weiss, the Spurs talked to the Knicks about Guerschon Yabusele and Pacome Dadiet, the Bulls about Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips, and the Suns about Nick Richards, but they didn’t find a deal they liked and didn’t feel compelled to move Sochan without getting value in return.

Although Sochan may not be part of the Spurs’ plans beyond this season, he has no plans to negotiate a buyout and should finish the season in San Antonio, a source tells Weiss. The Spurs may have another chance this summer to recoup some value for the former No. 9 overall pick in a sign-and-trade scenario.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

• Count star big man Victor Wembanyama among those who are pleased that the Spurs didn’t make any roster changes at the trade deadline. “What I love is that the front office trusts these guys just like I do,” Wembanyama said, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “We’re on the same page.” Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and Harrison Barnes were among the other Spurs who voiced support for the front office’s approach. “When you’re in a situation where you’re winning games, you don’t feel like you have to make a lot of moves,” Barnes said. “We’re happy to live with that and continue to build with that.”
• The Mavericks and Wizards originally had exploratory Anthony Davis trade talks in early November before eventually reaching an agreement this week, reports Christian Clark of The Athletic. As Clark details, the Mavs were happy that word of those talks didn’t leak and that they were able to inform Davis of the deal face-to-face before word broke publicly. Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required), meanwhile, writes that the team accomplished its goals of creating cap flexibility, adding draft assets, and addressing the point guard spot (by looping Tyus Jones into the deal).
• Reacting to the Pelicans‘ relatively quiet trade deadline, Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required) says it wasn’t a surprise that the team moved on from Jose Alvarado, who can become a free agent this summer, but acknowledged that fans may be frustrated to lose a key spark plug while the front office was inactive on other fronts. Besides Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy III, who had seemed off-limits for weeks, rumored trade candidates Jordan Poole, Jordan Hawkins, Yves Missi, Saddiq Bey, and Dejounte Murray also didn’t go anywhere.
• The Pelicans are taking steps toward relocating their G League team – which currently plays in Birmingham, Alabama – to Louisiana, writes Patrick Magee of NOLA.com (subscription required). According to Magee, the Kenner City Council gave its unanimous approval on Thursday to a proposal that would bring the Squadron to the city’s Pontchartrain Center. The tentative plan is for the Pelicans’ G League team to begin playing in Kenner, a suburb of New Orleans, in 2026/27.