One of the decisions the Los Angeles Lakers had to make this offseason had to do with the contract status of guard Jordan Goodwin.
After some impressive play with the South Bay Lakers in the G League to start the season, Goodwin earned a two-way contract with L.A. He then continued to impress with the parent team due to his hustle and defensive prowess, landing a standard NBA contract ahead of the postseason.
That contract included a non-guaranteed team option for the 2025-26 season at around $2.3 million. The deadline to pick up that option was June 29 and to no surprise, the Lakers will be picking it up, per Keith Smith of Spotrac:
The Los Angeles Lakers have picked up their $2.3M team option for Jordan Goodwin. His contract now becomes lightly guaranteed for 2025-26.
The Lakers also tendered a two-way qualifying offer to Christian Koloko. Koloko will now be a restricted free agent on July 1.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 29, 2025
Just because the Lakers are picking up Goodwin’s option does not mean he is guaranteed to stay with the team as they can now use him in trades if they want. Goodwin’s contract will not be guaranteed until Jan. 10, 2026, so the Lakers also have up until then to waive him if things aren’t working out.
Goodwin is the exact type of player that Lakers head coach JJ Redick has coveted, however, so it’s hard to imagine L.A. willingly parting ways with the 26-year-old.
In 29 games for the team last season (five starts), Goodwin averaged 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 38.2% from 3-point range. His strong perimeter defense also played a part in the increased playing time to end the year.
If he can repeat that type of production and continue to get better, then the Lakers having Goodwin on a minimum contract will be an absolute steal. His role will depend on how the roster shakes out in the coming weeks, but Goodwin should very much be in the mix for playing time in Redick’s rotation to start the season.
Jordan Goodwin grateful for opportunity with Lakers
Even before his team option was picked up, Jordan Goodwin expressed how grateful he was to get this opportunity with the Lakers after bouncing around the league and spending time in the G League.
“Very grateful. I was hurt earlier so God gave me a chance to come back and get back on this stage. I’m just gonna try my best to stay here.”
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