In need of some perimeter defense, the Los Angeles Lakers addressed that by agreeing to sign Marcus Smart after he was bought out by the Washington Wizards.
The Lakers reportedly gave Smart a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option in the second year. They used their bi-annual exception (BAE) to do that, which was their last remaining tool in free agency.
Unfortunately though, the Lakers are hard capped at the first apron of the salary cap. So they needed to open up some space below the first apron in order to give Smart the full BAE.
They did that by waiving Shake Milton and Jordan Goodwin, who both had contracts that were non-guaranteed. Cutting Milton loose did not come as a surprise, but Goodwin was a key piece of JJ Redick’s rotation down the stretch of last season and looks to be a player on the rise in the NBA.
The Lakers attempted to make a consolidation trade to free up enough money to keep Goodwin but were unable to do so, resulting in the 26-year-old being waived.
With Goodwin now going through the waiver process, he was claimed by the Phoenix Suns, per Shams Charania of ESPN:
The Phoenix Suns have claimed former Lakers guard Jordan Goodwin off free agency waivers, sources tell ESPN. Goodwin, waived by the Lakers to create roster space for Marcus Smart, is a gritty, upside pickup for the Suns backcourt. pic.twitter.com/SIMQXztpNi
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 23, 2025
Goodwin being claimed does not come as a surprise, and it’s nice to see him get another opportunity even if it isn’t with the Lakers.
In 29 games (five starts) for the Lakers in 2024-25, Goodwin averaged 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals in 18.7 minutes. In 150 career NBA games (24 starts) across four seasons with the Lakers (2024-25), Memphis Grizzlies (2023-24), Phoenix Suns (2023-24) and Washington Wizards (2021-23), he has put up 6.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 18.1 minutes.
The Lakers currently have 14 players on their roster and are only a little over $1 million below their first apron hard cap, which means their offseason is likely over barring a trade to open up space. And if a trade was on the horizon, they would have pulled the trigger in order to keep Goodwin around.
Lakers guard Marcus Smart working hard on body this offseason
Marcus Smart is a former Defensive Player of the Year but has unfortunately struggled to stay healthy the last two seasons.
He will have to return to his previous form for it to be a good signing for the Lakers, especially considering they waived Jordan Goodwin to make it happen. The good news though is that recent reports indicate Smart is currently healthy and has been working hard on his body to prepare for the 2025-26 season.
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