The waiting game is finally over. The Los Angeles Lakers have pulled the trigger on a move that everyone knew was bound to be coming at some point before the end of the 2024-25 NBA regular season.
It was not too long ago that JJ Redick was telling Jovan Buha that Jordan Goodwin would become a part of the Lakers' rotation. That has indeed become the case.
Since joining Los Angeles on a two-way deal, Goodwin has clawed his way into an important role off the bench for the Lakers. The feisty defender has carved out 20.5 minutes per game for himself in the 19 games he has played with the team so far.
There was just one problem with how well Goodwin was fitting with the Lakers: the two-way guard was ineligible for postseason basketball due to his contract. Rob Pelinka and company have finally gone and addressed that issue.
Lakers convert Goodwin, release Reddish
Shams Charania broke the good news today that Goodwin's deal is officially getting converted to a standard, two-year NBA contract. To create space for this change, the Lakers are waiving Cam Reddish.
The decision to move on from Reddish is unsurprising. The former top 10 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft has failed to make much of an impact during his time in Los Angeles.
Goodwin has had no such troubles. The well-traveled young guard has delivered 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Lakers, with shooting splits of 47-41-82, in the 2024-25 campaign. Goodwin has exceled at fitting into the Lakers' defensive gameplan. The aggressive defender brings exactly the type of high energy that the coaching staff has called for.
With the conversion to the standard deal, Goodwin can now participate in the postseason for Los Angeles. The decision to give him that contract always felt like a matter of 'when,' due to the Lakers' cap constraints, and not 'if.'
It would have felt odd to see someone who has participated in key minutes off the bench down the stretch of the season for Redick's group not get a chance to do the same in the postseason. That concern no longer exists for the Lakers or their fans.
With 10 game left in the regular season, Goodwin can continue to prove why the Lakers were right to give him an opportunity to help their team in this year's NBA Playoffs. There should be little doubt to the fact that the newly-signed guard will play a factor in the postseason run for Los Angeles.
