The Los Angeles Lakers signed Jordan Goodwin, Bradley Beal‘s protege, to a two-way contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Friday, Feb. 7, following their back-to-back blockbuster trades for Luka Doncic and Mark Williams.
Goodwin averaged 9.7 points on 38.5% 3-point shooting, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal in three games with the South Bay Lakers in the G League this season before earning the two-way deal. The Lakers have waived Armel Traore to make create a two-way spot for Goodwin. He joins Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III, the Lakers reserve centers, on two-way deals.
They also have one open standard roster spot after they traded rookie sharpshooter Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish in the Williams trade.
Goodwin was on the Lakers training camp roster but did not make the final cut.
The 26-year-old guard is Beal’s protege and a former teammate in Washington and Phoenix. They became good friends when Goodwin played for Beal’s AAU basketball team he coached in St. Louis.
Jordan Goodwin-Bradley Beal Close Bond
After going undrafted in 2021, the 6-foot-4 Goodwin joined the Washington Wizards Summer League team and eventually joined their G League team after getting waived. Then he went from a 10-day contract to a two-way deal until earning a multi-year deal to join Beal with the Wizards.
After his first full season with the Wizards, averaging 6.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists, he was included in the Beal trade to the Suns. In 40 games as a reserve for the Suns last season, Goodwin averaged 5.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 14 minutes.
Goodwin parted ways with Beal at the February trade deadline when the Suns traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for Royce O’Neale.
“I’ve known J Good since he was a teenager,” Beal told reporters when Goodwin was traded. “It is definitely surreal in some ways, but at the same time, we’ve talked about this in DC. No matter what man, if you’re here, anywhere else like somebody wants you, you go prove yourself [and] continue to be yourself. I’m excited for a new opportunity for him.
It definitely sucks. I wish he was still here, but business is business. He understands it, I understand it and he’s off to a better place and hopefully, he can land on his feet and be ready when his name is called.”
Improved 3-Point Shot
After playing backup to Beal, whose shadow loomed large on him, for the first two years of his NBA career, Goodwin finally stepped up with more playing time for the injury-ravaged Grizzlies.
After the Nets waived Goodwin, the Grizzlies picked him up and signed him to a 10-day contract which was later converted into a two-way deal.
Goodwin averaged 10 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 17 games, including 12 starts, for the Grizzlies to end the season.
However, the Grizzlies did not re-sign him.
What’s keeping Goodwin from becoming a solid NBA rotation player is his lack of outside shot. He was shooting just 30.8% from the 3-point range in 121 NBA games, which is not good enough for a point guard in the modern game.
But he has improved his outside shot with the South Bay Lakers.
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