The Los Angeles Lakers had bragging rights last season when they unearthed Jordan Goodwin — finding a spot for him on a two-way contract before converting him to a standard deal by year's end. The problem is they gave up far too early on a player who clearly could have helped them long-term.
Marcus Smart became available during the offseason. Rather than exploring a consolidation trade that could have opened up the financial freedom the Lakers needed to sign the veteran guard to his current deal, Rob Pelinka and the front office opted for the easy option of parting ways with Goodwin's non-guaranteed money.