Jordan Goodwin

Southeast Notes: Ball, Goodwin, Young, Murray, Isaac

While there has been growing optimism that LaMelo Ball will soon make his season debut, it won’t happen on Monday night. The team’s PR department lists him as out for the Hornets’ contest against Washington (Twitter link).

Ball suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain in a preseason game on October 10. Hornets forward Gordon Hayward (left shoulder contusion) also remains out of action.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • Jordan Goodwin, who had his training campcontract converted into a two-way deal in mid-October, has been a pleasant surprise for the Wizards, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes. Goodwin had nine points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals against Memphis on Sunday and could have a steady role as the third point guard. “He has the heart of a dog. You can’t teach that and you can’t give it out, you’re born with it,” Bradley Beal said.
  • Jonathan Isaac hasn’t played in an NBA game since the 2019/20 season but the Magic forward is making progress. “I’ve been playing [5-on-5] the last few weeks and just getting in shape,” Isaac told Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel. “I’m still getting there. But in terms of body, knees and hamstrings, everything is great. I’m just not in game shape.” Isaac won’t put a timetable on his return, adding “I foresee myself in the next few weeks continuing to get more in shape and being more integrated with the team.”
  • The Hawks entered Monday’s action with a 6-3 record, thanks in large part to their backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Both players are still adjusting to having another high volume guard alongside them but it’s working so far, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez writes. They’re averaging a combined 50.2 points and 17.5 assists per game. “We’re learning each other, trying to understand the new situation we’re both in,” Murray said. “Pushing each other and just knowing that it’s going be a long journey with ups and downs.”

Southeast Notes: Banchero, Goodwin, Bridges, Hunter, Oladipo

Paolo Banchero‘s rookie season begins in Detroit on Wednesday. The Magic forward knows he’ll have a target on his back as the top overall pick and he’s looking forward to the challenge, Marc Stein reports in a Substack post.

“Every guy on the opposite team knows who I am and probably wants to prove something and is probably going to test me — especially with me also being a rookie — and try to see what I’m made of,” Banchero said. “So the key is just being ready for it and accepting the challenge. That’s not something I back down from.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • Guard Jordan Goodwin had his Exhibit 10 contract converted into a two-way deal by the Wizards over the weekend. He will try to live up to the contract by being messy — in a good way, as he told Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “[I’m] just a guy that can do a lot of things,” Goodwin said. “I think my main focus here is just going to be defensively. Try to come in and muck things up, make things a little messy. Just make the right play offensively, whether that’s shoot the ball or make the extra pass, screening.”
  • A preliminary hearing regarding Miles Bridges’ felony domestic violence case in Los Angeles was delayed for the seventh time Monday and moved to November 3, according to Michael Gordon of the Charlotte Observer. In the hearing, prosecutors will be required to produce evidence to show the Hornets free agent forward committed a crime. Bridges was arrested on June 29 and faces three felony domestic violence charges.
  • De’Andre Hunter got his rookie scale extension. Now, the Hawks forward wants to show he’s worthy of the four-year contract, which can be worth up to $95MM, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. “I mean, it’s gonna be my home for the next four or five years, whatever,” Hunter said. “Like I said, I’m just grateful, thankful that they gave me the opportunity, that they have so much faith in me as a player, just trying to work my butt off and do what I need to do to become a better player for the team.”
  • The Heat’s Victor Oladipo (left knee tendinosis) and Omer Yurtseven (left ankle impingement) are listed as out for Wednesday’s opener against the Bulls, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets.

Wizards Convert Jordan Goodwin To Two-Way Deal, Waive Four Players

3:45pm: The Wizards have, as expected, waived Sword, Dotson, and Jackson, the team confirmed in a press release.

The Wizards also announced that they signed and waived center Jaime Echenique today. He’s a safe bet to return to the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate, which is where he spent most of last season.

The team’s roster is now set for the regular season, with 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-ways.


2:03pm: The Wizards have converted Jordan Goodwin‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

Goodwin, who will turn 24 next Sunday, spent his rookie season in the Wizards’ organization after going undrafted out of Saint Louis in 2021. For most of the year, he was a member of the Capital City Go-Go, averaging 16.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 2.0 SPG with a .412/.302/.792 shooting line in 31 NBAGL games (32.4 MPG).

Goodwin also got a chance to make his NBA debut when he was signed to a 10-day hardship contract in December. He appeared in two games for Washington during that time.

The Wizards had been carrying four players on Exhibit 10 contracts. Goodwin’s conversion to a two-way deal likely means that Craig Sword, Devon Dotson, and Quenton Jackson will be waived. That would leave the team with 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts, plus Goodwin and Jordan Schakel on two-ways.

Wizards Sign Jordan Goodwin To Exhibit 10 Deal

The Wizards have signed guard Jordan Goodwin to an Exhibit 10 contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Goodwin signed a 10-day hardship exception contract with the Wizards last season and appeared in two games, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors notes (Twitter link). He averaged 16.1 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 31 games with their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.

Goodwin also played five games in Las Vegas with Washington’s Summer League squad in July.

The 23-year-old went undrafted last year following a four-year college career with Saint Louis. He can earn a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and then ends up joining the Capital City Go-Go once again.

The Wizards now have a full 20-man offseason roster.

Wizards Sign Jordan Goodwin Via Hardship Exception

DECEMBER 27: The Wizards have officially signed Goodwin to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release.


DECEMBER 26: The Wizards are planning to sign Jordan Goodwin from their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, on a 10-day contract under the hardship exemption, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Goodwin is averaging 15.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 3.6 APG in 14 games with the Go-Go, including 10 starts. He went undrafted earlier this year following a four-year college career with Saint Louis.

The 6’3” guard will fortify a backcourt that has two prominent players, Bradley Beal and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, in the league’s health and safety protocols.

Wizards Release Three Players

The Wizards have released Jaime Echenique, Jordan Goodwin and Devontae Shuler, the club announced on social media today (Twitter link).

Washington now has 15 players on standard deals and two players on two-way contracts, trimming its roster to 17 players ahead of the regular season.

The team re-tooled during the offseason, adding Spencer Dinwiddie, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and others. It opens the season in a road contest against Toronto on Wednesday night.

Echenique, Goodwin and Shuler all signed Exhibit 10 contracts, making them strong candidates to play with the team’s G League affiliate this season.

Wizards Sign Jordan Goodwin To Exhibit 10 Deal

Jordan Goodwin has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Wizards, according to the transactions log at RealGM.

Goodwin, a 6’3″ guard of out St. Louis, was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive team in 2020 and 2021. The 22-year-old spent four seasons with the Billikens and averaged 14.5 points and 10.1 rebounds as a senior. An undrafted free agent, he played for the Wizards in the Las Vegas Summer League.

The contract means Goodwin will join Washington for training camp and is eligible for a $50K bonus if he winds up playing for the team’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. The signing brings the Wizards to 18 players, two short of the limit heading into camp. Kyree Walker is also expected to receive a training camp deal.

Wizards To Sign Jay Huff, Jordan Goodwin To Exhibit 10 Deals

The Wizards are signing undrafted free agents Jay Huff and Jordan Goodwin to Exhibit 10 contracts, according to a pair of reports from Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter links).

A 7’1″ forward/center, Huff spent his college career at Virginia and was a full-time starter for the first time as a senior in 2020/21. He averaged 13.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 2.6 BPG with a stellar .585/.387/.837 shooting line in 25 games (27.0 MPG). Huff, who won a national title in 2019, made the All-ACC Second Team and the ACC All-Defensive Team in 2021.

As for Goodwin, the 6’3″ guard averaged a double-double in back-to-back years for Saint Louis, including 14.5 PPG and 10.1 RPG in 21 games (33.1 MPG) this past season. Goodwin’s shot (.430/.314/.643) is inconsistent, but he’s a decent play-maker (3.9 APG) and made the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive team twice in 2020 and 2021.

An Exhibit 10 contract can be converted into a two-way or standard NBA deal if a team decides it wants to keep a player around beyond training camp. It can also ensure a player receives a bonus worth up to $50K if he ends up joining his team’s G League affiliate, so it’s possible Huff and/or Goodwin eventually play for the Capital City Go-Go.

Southeast Notes: Herro, Unseld Jr., T. Murphy, Magic

Although Heat president Pat Riley considers Tyler Herro to be a “core player” for the franchise, Herro heard his name in a lot of trade rumors during his second NBA season, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Herro was mentioned frequently as Miami pursued James Harden in January and Kyle Lowry at the trade deadline in March. Now that he’s been exposed to the distraction of trade talk, Herro plans to ignore it in the future.

“I’m done listening to all that, honestly,” he said. “I think every time that we’re not playing or even if we are playing, my name is brought up in something. So it is what it is at this point. Like I said, I’m focused on getting better, getting this team better.”

Herro averaged 15.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game this season while shooting 43.9% from the field, all better numbers than in his rookie year. He has already gained four pounds since the Heat were knocked out of the playoffs and hopes to add between 10 to 12 overall to become stronger for next season.

“I think it translates obviously offensively,” he said. “Getting stronger, I can get to my spots easier and just being able to defend bigger guys than me. I want to be able to be as big as the rest of the vets are in the league. So just gaining weight I think will help me tremendously on both ends.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • The Wizards conducted 26 interviews before deciding to hire Wes Unseld Jr. as their next coach, writes Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports Washington. During an appearance this week on the Sports Junkies podcast, general manager Tommy Sheppard talked about the process, which included 18 formal interviews and eight others over the phone. “We went about it pretty thoroughly, pretty thoughtfully, and where we arrived was at a fantastic, young head coach that has been putting in the time and doing everything he could possibly do,” Sheppard said. “Not a self-promoter, but somebody that was ready for this job.”
  • Potential lottery pick Trey Murphy is scheduled to work out for the Wizards on Thursday, the team announced on its website. A junior out of Virginia, he shot over 40% from beyond the arc last season and ranked seventh in the ACC in made three-pointers. St. Louis guard Jordan Goodwin and Kyree Walker of Chameleon BX will also participate.
  • Josh Robbins of The Athletic proposes a few potential draft-day trades for the Magic involving the other teams in the top six.

Draft Notes: Juzang, Abmas, Last-Minute Decisions

After leading UCLA to the Final Four, Johnny Juzang will withdraw from the NBA draft and return for his junior season. Juzang announced his decision on Twitter about an hour before the NCAA’s Wednesday deadline of midnight Eastern Time for early entrants to pull out of the draft and retain their eligibility.

“Going through the draft process has been an amazing experience,” he wrote. “I was blessed to connect with great people, learn and grow, and get a feel for life at the next level. I want to thank everyone who has helped me in this process including my family, trainers, school and especially my dad who helped me for countless hours!”

There was talk that Juzang might be a first-round pick after an outstanding performance in the NCAA tournament, but a disappointing showing at the combine hurt his status, according to Chad Ford (Twitter link), who speculates that he could be back in first-round consideration next year.

There’s more on last-minute draft decisions: