The Los Angeles Lakers have requested waivers on guards Shake Milton and Jordan Goodwin, the team announced on Sunday evening.
Milton was acquired by the Lakers last December along with Dorian Finney-Smith in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets for D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and draft compensation. In 30 games (one start) with the Lakers, Milton averaged 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 11.5 minutes.
He has appeared in 359 NBA games in his career (47 starts) across seven seasons with the Lakers (2024-25), Nets (2024-25), New York Knicks (2023-24), Detroit Pistons (2023-24), Minnesota Timberwolves (2023-24) and Philadelphia 76ers (2018-23), averaging 8.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 18.7 minutes.
Milton’s $3 million salary for the 2025-26 season became guaranteed on July 20, so the Lakers waived him before that money got stuck on their books.
The Lakers originally signed Goodwin to an Exhibit 10 contract before training camp last season and after an impressive stint in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, he landed a two-way contract. He continued to impress at the NBA level and made himself a mainstay in JJ Redick’s rotation, forcing the organization to upgrade him to a standard contract at the end of the regular season to be eligible for the playoffs.
That contract included a team option for 2025-26, which the Lakers decided to pick up early this offseason. Only around $25,000 of the contract was guaranteed though, so L.A. was able to waive him without having any money on their books.
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.
Considering how strong of a stretch Goodwin had to end the season, it’s possible that he gets claimed or finds another NBA contract if he hits free agency. Because Goodwin has four years of NBA experience, he is no longer eligible to be signed to a two-way contract, making a return to the Lakers unlikely.
Why Lakers waived Shake Milton and Jordan Goodwin
The Lakers chose to waive both Shake Milton and Jordan Goodwin in order to open up enough space under the first apron of the salary cap to sign Marcus Smart, who reportedly will be getting the full bi-annual exception (BAE) of around $5.1 million.
With Milton and Goodwin on the roster, the Lakers were only about $1.1 million below their first apron hard cap. They attempted to make a trade to free up some money, but with them being unable to do that, they unloaded about $5.5 million in salary by cutting Milton and Goodwin.
Barring a trade, the Lakers will head into the season with 14 players on their roster, but only around $1.3 million below the hard cap, which is not enough to sign a minimum player until midway through the year.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
