Mar 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick at press conference at the Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

JJ Redick Explains Lakers' Decision to Promote Jordan Goodwin, Cut Cam Reddish

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Mar 28, 2025 2:10 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers had a decision to make on Jordan Goodwin. He was on a two-way contract and he was almost out of eligibility to stay with Los Angeles.

If the Lakers didn't make a decision to convert his contract into a full NBA deal, he would have had to play the rest of the season with the South Bay Lakers.

Instead, the Lakers decided to give him a fully guaranteed deal for the rest of the year. That means that he will be eligible not just for the rest of the season, but the playoffs as well.

In order to make that move, the Lakers had to open up a roster spot. That meant they had to waive Cam Reddish in order to give Goodwin that spot.

Reddish is someone who the Lakers tried to trade, along with Dalton Knecht, in the Mark Williams deal. It was clear that he wasn't wanted by the organization.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick explained why this was the decision that they decided to make.

JJ Redick on what Jordan Goodwin has meant to the Lakers after the team converted his two-way contract into a standard NBA deal: https://t.co/tYq1h2WT9V pic.twitter.com/EVR8u1s7p6
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) March 27, 2025

"Just his competitive spirit, his toughness. I joked with him this morning, he can't get soft on us now. He's been a banshee for us since he's been with us on the two-way and has provided not just the attitude, the toughness on the court, but he's played really good basketball for us. We're confident in him," Redick stated.

Redick likes the way that Goodwin has been playing for the Lakers in the last few weeks. He has actually been on the fringes of the rotation and can play normal rotation minutes if needed too.

The Lakers made this decision with an eye on both the present and the future. They want to make sure that they have the best chance of winning in the playoffs and having a future rotation player, too.

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Reddish hasn't been part of the Lakers' plans all year, so the move to waive him makes a lot of sense. He likely wouldn't have played much in the playoffs anyway, unless they had a lot of injuries.

The Lakers' roster is now set for the playoffs this year. They have all of their rotation pieces ready to go.

While he was with the Lakers, Reddish averaged 3.2 points, two rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game. Goodwin is averaging 6.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.

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Lakers Officially Make Contract Decision on Jordan Goodwin

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This article first appeared on FanNation All Lakers and was syndicated with permission.

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