A lot of players have needed to step up recently as the Los Angeles Lakers have dealt with a number of injuries and one of the most unexpected has been guard Jordan Goodwin. Signed to a two-way contract in February, Goodwin has emerged as an important and trusted piece of head coach JJ Redick’s rotation.
The energy, defensive intensity and overall fight that Goodwin plays with is contagious and he regularly impacts the game well beyond what the box score shows. However, being on a two-way contract, the number of games he is allowed to play with the Lakers is limited and he is quickly closing in on that number. After Monday’s win over the San Antonio Spurs, Goodwin only has five active games remaining before exhausting his two-way eligibility.
The Lakers could convert his contract into a standard one in order to fix this problem, and many expect the team to ultimately do that, but Redick noted that it is a bit of a complicated situation.
“It’s very complicated because he’s really earned the trust of the coaching staff,” Redick said after the Lakers’ win over the San Antonio Spurs. “But this is unfortunately the nature of the two-way contracts and having a full roster. So again, it’s something, similar to Trey (Jemison), we’re just gonna manage. I think with guys being out, we can’t really afford to have him out of the rotation right now and then we’ll see as we get healthy.”
As Redick noted, the Lakers have a full roster which means they would have to cut somebody in order to convert Goodwin’s contract and it is unclear who that would be if they chose to do so. Most would point to Cam Reddish as being a prime candidate or the recently signed Alex Len as players the team could let go, but there are different financial ramifications depending on who the Lakers would potentially waive.
What is for sure is that Goodwin is someone the Lakers can’t afford to lose. He has been inserted into the starting lineup the last three games and is averaging 9.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks. He is also shooting 44.7% from 3-point range this season and really making an impact on both ends of the court.
Be it as a starter or a reserve Goodwin continues to be an extremely important player for this team and Redick and the Lakers must figure out what to do with his contract very soon.
They have until the final day of the regular season to convert him to a standard contract in order to be postseason eligible, but considering he is now a mainstay in the rotation, they will likely look to make that conversion as soon as he is out of two-way games.
JJ Redick says Lakers coaches fought for Jordan Goodwin to get two-way contract
Jordan Goodwin only received his two-way contract with the Lakers in February, but head coach JJ Redick says that it could have happened much sooner.
The Lakers coach says that back in September during training camp Goodwin very much impressed the coaching staff who all fought for him to receive a two-way deal then. However, a hamstring injury ruined his chances and he would instead go down to the G League and star for the South Bay Lakers before ultimately getting his opportunity.
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