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After watching the Los Angeles Lakers sign veteran guard Marcus Smart to a two-year, $11 million deal, NBA analyst Zach Lowe wonders if they gave up too soon on Jordan Goodwin.
Goodwin was waived to make room for Smart as the Lakers hope the veteran defensive specialist can bolster their identity ahead of a critical 2025-26 campaign. However, is Smart the right player to trust?
Considering his recent history with injuries, which have plagued him the past two seasons, perhaps the Lakers would have been better off with the younger, less-expensive option, Lowe pondered, per the Zach Lowe Show.
“Jordan Goodwin was good last year, and they had to waive him to get Marcus Smart, who’s played like 40 games in the last two years,” Lowe said. “There is a universe, and I’m not saying that we’re going to live in this universe — the Lakers certainly don’t want to — where Jordan Goodwin is as good next season as Marcus Smart. He was good.”
For Lowe, Goodwin made significant strides in the latter half of last season.
“Before the playoffs, there was this wonderful story by Dan Wolke about the banshees, as they called them, the banshee culture with the Lakers and Jordan Goodwin and Jarred Vanderbilt, who’s still here, setting the tone on defense just by screaming around on defense,” Lowe added.
“And then, of course, they could barely play in the playoffs. But you know, be that as it may, Jordan Goodwin was actually like a real contributor to their team.
“Who, if you talk to their coaches, would be like, “Oh, you know who the guy I just secretly love on our team is? Jordan Goodwin. He’s gone,” Lowe concluded.
Perhaps the Lakers are looking back to their last championship team in 2020, which was equipped with over-the-hill veterans that helped All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to a championship. Veterans such as Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, and Danny Green all played significant roles throughout the Lakers’ championship run.
Lakers part ways with ‘key rotation’ players for Marcus Smart
The Lakers also parted ways with veteran guard Shake Milton to make room for Marcus Smart, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“Goodwin and Shake Milton were released to clear space for the arrival of Marcus Smart,” Charania reported.
