Lakers lose fan favorite guard to Suns to make room for Marcus Smart

Billy Heyen

Lakers lose fan favorite guard to Suns to make room for Marcus Smart image

The Los Angeles Lakers knew that by signing Marcus Smart, they'd have to give up a player or two to create roster and salary space.

They officially lost one of those players on Wednesday night.

After Jordan Goodwin was placed on waivers earlier in the week, the Phoenix Suns claimed him, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

It's a good low-risk addition by the Suns, who are just looking for talent with a bit of upside at this point to continue re-tooling their roster.

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Goodwin played well in 29 games with the Lakers this past season, but he won't be back in purple and gold.

On paper, Smart is a great addition. He's still a good defender and playmaker, if he can stay healthy.

But it means Goodwin is gone without getting a chance to spread his wings any further in Hollywood.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle