The Los Angeles Lakers waived Jordan Goodwin in the offseason to make room for Marcus Smart, and it quickly proved to be a mistake. Goodwin went back to Phoenix and is playing a key role off the bench for a surprise playoff contender. The Lakers kept Dalton Knecht and Bronny James over him, and the youngsters are only trusted in garbage time.
Lakers fans saw what Goodwin can do last season. He worked his way from a two-way contract onto the standard roster. The 6’3 guard was an impactful defender and plus shooter, who was even part of head coach JJ Redick’s playoff rotation. Nobody wanted to see him go, but the Lakers had to create room to sign Marcus Smart. Rob Pelinka mistakenly chose Goodwin as the man to send packing.
Los Angeles has massive perimeter defensive issues and would love to upgrade over Gabe Vincent. They had that player on their roster and cut him to keep two people who will never be part of their rotation. The Lakers missed on having a talented depth piece, and errors like this are killing their shot at competing with the best teams in the loaded Western Conference.
Jordan Goodwin keeps making the Lakers regret letting him go
Goodwin averages 8.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.4 steals in 21.8 minutes per game for the Suns this season. Phoenix is shocking seventh in the West after dumping Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. They play hard and are even better with Goodwin on the floor.
They are 24-15 in the games he plays and 1-2 when the 27-year-old sits. The Suns have a 6.4 net rating with Goodwin on the floor and are 5.5 points per 100 possessions better in his minutes. That should be no surprise. Goodwin has already produced a 0.7 value over replacement player (VORP), which would be the fourth-highest on the Lakers behind only their three stars.
The talented guard quickly earned coach Redick’s trust and helped the Lakers win games. Having a defensive-minded guard to turn to off the bench would be massive. LA can’t stop guards from getting downhill and struggles to stay connected defensively. Goodwin is an energy player who would certainly help.
The most frustrating part is that the Lakers had him under contract and chose two players who haven’t taken a step forward over keeping him. Los Angeles hasn’t received any meaningful production from Dalton Knecht or Bronny James this season. Both are offense-first players struggling to make shots on a team with three superstars. Pelinka needed to prioritize defense and simply didn’t.
It was even more painful to watch Goodwin play a key role in two wins over the Lakers in December. He had 13 points, five assists, and three steals in a Dec. 1 victory and made two massive threes in the Dec. 23 blowout. With the Lakers struggling to get any production from their bench, those moments were painful.
The Los Angeles Lakers messed up in waiving Jordan Goodwin. They had a talented rotation player on a cheap contract and let him go. The Lakers lack depth, defense, and the needed role players around their stars. Goodwin checked all three boxes, but LA somehow couldn’t find room. This one is on Rob Pelinka, and fans shouldn’t let him forget it.