Major signing! Hello, the 9th pick! Goodbye, Spurs!

NBA teams have become extremely ruthless; if a player can't be traded, they just cut him.

Cameron Thomas, just 24 years old, was the 27th pick in the 2021 first round, a 1.91m combo guard who scored over 20 points per game for two straight seasons with the Nets. Yet, he was waived after the trade deadline this season and quickly took his skills to the Bucks.

This guy is truly a naturally elite scorer. So far, he has played three games for the Bucks, averaging 19.3 minutes and explosively scoring 16.7 points, along with 2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.7 turnovers per game. His shooting percentages are 47.4% overall and 38.5% from three-point range. Without exaggeration, given enough opportunity, he would be the team's second-best offensive weapon after Giannis.

Recently, another young player was waived: 22-year-old Jeremy Sochan, a 2.03m wing and the 9th pick in the 2022 first round. He played three and a half seasons for the Spurs, appearing in 212 games with averages of 25.3 minutes, 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. His shooting splits stand at 46.8%, 28.7%, and 72.3%.

Like Thomas, Sochan immediately found a new team after entering the buyout market,and has decided to join the Knicks, based in the international metropolis of New York.

So far this season, the Bucks hold a 23-30 record, ranking 12th in the East, trailing the 10th-place Hawks by 1.5 games. Giannis is expected to return after the All-Star break. The Knicks are third in the East at 35-20, just 0.5 games behind the second-place Celtics.

Thomas went to the Bucks where he gets ample playing time to post strong stats and aim for a big contract this summer, while Sochan joined the Knicks, who might not immediately rely on him but offer a chance to compete for a championship. Both have promising futures.

In fact, if Sochan hadn't been let go, the Spurs could still be contenders this season. Currently, they stand at 38-16, second in the West, just three games behind the defending champion Thunder.

By the way,the Pistons, a major dark horse with a 75.5% win rate, currently have a 40-13 record, surpassing the Thunder’s 42-14 (75%) to claim the top spot in the league.