The Los Angeles Lakers were highly active leading up to the NBA trade deadline. After making waves by acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks, they addressed their center needs by trading for Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets.
With these moves, the Lakers’ roster became thin at the guard position. To compensate, they signed NBA veteran Jordan Goodwin to a two-way contract, as reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.
The Lakers finalized Goodwin’s signing on Friday, but since they already had three two-way contract players—Christian Koloko, Trey Jemison, and Armel Traore—they released Traore to make room for Goodwin.
Since Goodwin has only three years of NBA experience, he remains eligible for a two-way contract. This season, he had been competing in the G League with the South Bay Lakers.
Following the Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic trade and the Mark Williams acquisition, the Lakers also parted ways with Max Christie, Dalton Knecht, and Cam Reddish, leaving them with limited depth at the wing position. Although on a two-way contract, Goodwin could contribute in that area.
Under the terms of his two-way deal, Goodwin can participate in 50 NBA games, including those where he is on the active roster but does not play. However, he won’t be eligible for the playoffs unless the Lakers convert his contract to a standard deal. The team has 33 regular-season games remaining.
Jordan Goodwin’s Path to the Lakers
After splitting last season between the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies, Goodwin joined the Lakers for training camp before the 2024-25 season. However, he was among the team’s final roster cuts and had been playing in the G League with South Bay.
During the regular-season portion of the G League schedule, Goodwin played in 14 games, averaging 14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. His shooting splits included 40.7% from the field, 30.1% from three, and 82.4% from the free-throw line.
Goodwin’s NBA journey began with the Washington Wizards during the 2021-22 season after going undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft. He played two games with the Wizards after signing a 10-day contract that year.
The Wizards later brought him back for the 2022-23 season on a two-way contract. He was eventually included in the blockbuster trade that sent Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns and was later rerouted to the Memphis Grizzlies, finishing last season on a two-way deal.
