The Los Angeles Lakers managed to stop the bleeding and avoided a fourth-straight loss with Wednesday's 120-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Even though it was a big night for the entire team, the Lakers' latest outing was monumental for guard Jordan Goodwin. Wednesday night's contest was the final game of Goodwin's two-way eligibility.
Goodwin has become an important piece of head coach JJ Redick's lineup, as Lakers fans fully expected the team to convert his two-way contract into a one-way deal.
However, the main obstacle standing in between that goal was that all 15 of Los Angeles' roster spots were occupied. This meant a veteran had to be sent packing to create room for the former Saint Louis product.
Lakers Sign Jordan Goodwin to Standard NBA Contract, Waive Cam Reddish
On Thursday morning, NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the Lakers have officially converted Goodwin from a two-way contract to a standard deal. With a roster spot needing to be created for the 6-foot-3 guard, fellow insider Chris Haynes reports that Los Angeles has waived struggling veteran Cam Reddish.
Lakers are waiving Cam Reddish to make room, sources say.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 27, 2025
Although being cut isn't fun for a player, Reddish's release is far from surprising. Along with underperforming center Alex Len, the former 2019 first-rounder has often been floated as the leading candidate to be cut if the Lakers needed to open a roster spot before the playoffs. After Goodwin forced their hand, they had no choice but to send Reddish packing.
Reddish, 25, has often been disappointing since joining the Lakers ahead of the 2023-24 season. The ex-Duke Blue Devil's first year in L.A. was awful, however, things reached a new low this season. Suiting up in 33 games (8 starts) so far, Reddish is only averaging 3.2 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting only 40.4% from the floor and 27.7% on 1.4 three-point attempts per game.
The disastrous performance left the Norristown, PA native on Redick's bad side as time went on. Reddish went from averaging 18.1 minutes of action while suiting up in 31 of the Lakers' first 45 games to making only two appearances in the last 27 outings, playing only 14.5 minutes per appearance.
It isn't a coincidence that Reddish's declining opportunities coincided with Goodwin's rise. The Centreville, IL native has been impressive since making his Lakers debut at the start of February, averaging 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists with .470/.413/.818 shooting splits while playing 20.5 minutes per night. His solid defensive skills have only helped put him in Redick's good graces.
Hopefully, Goodwin continues his solid performance into the playoffs to prove that the Lakers were right to convert his contract. Unfortunately, the NBA's playoff eligibility waiver deadline was on March 1, meaning Reddish won't be able to participate in the postseason even if he quickly finds a new team.
Los Angeles will need all hands on deck if it wants to make some playoff noise. The Lakers are heading into the final stretch of the regular season tied for the fourth-best 2025 NBA Finals odds (+1800) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
More Los Angeles Lakers News & Rumors:
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.