The Los Angeles Lakers needed to make room for Marcus Smart this summer. Instead of clearing up space via trade, they chose the path that offered a simpler and easier solution by waiving Jordan Goodwin. That decision was a disappointing one then, and it continues to be one now.
The non-guaranteed salary of Goodwin made him a prime candidate to be outright cut when Smart had inked a new contract that required the financial books to be cleared up following a buyout from the Washington Wizards. Despite the former Lakers guard quickly earning a spot in the rotation while still on a two-way contract, Los Angeles chose to discard their own hidden gem.