Why the Lakers must waive Cam Reddish and Alex Len

With the season dwindling down, teams are battening down the hatches and gearing up for the postseason. Whether it be giving players rest or, in the Lakers’ case, getting back players from injury to build chemistry, everyone is making their final tweaks and adjustments.

This morning, news started circulating through the NBA world about some moves the Lakers could make to strengthen their team going into this final stretch of the season.

I believe the same will be true of Jordan Goodwin with his next game where he is active–likely tomorrow in Indiana vs. the Pacers. There has been little clarity on the Lakers plans to try to convert Goodwin as they’d need to waive a player to accommodate rostering him. https://t.co/h1sCZOk7ct

— Darius Soriano (@forumbluegold) March 26, 2025

On a recent podcast, Jovan Buha of the Athletic said, “There’s a chance [of all three two-way guys being converted], but realistically, it’s probably not gonna happen just because I think that the only two obvious players to cut on the roster are Cam Reddish and Alex Len.”

That is not to say that both players WILL be cut. It’s just the most likely scenario. Let’s discuss who would receive those new roster spots as the team prepares for a playoff push.

The Obvious Truth

While there are three two-way players currently with the Lakers, the decision is really between just two. Jordan Goodwin has made his presence known since signing a two-way contract with Los Angeles on February 7th.

Lakers fans knew they had a hustler on the team, but injuries revealed just how talented Goodwin is. In 18 games (five games started), Goodwin is averaging 6.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, and 1.2 SPG while shooting 42% from deep.

Jordan Goodwin has been a revelation for the Lakers on a 2-way contract, averaging:

7.1 PPG* (career high)
4.1 RPG
1.6 OREB* (career high, also crazy for a guard btw)
1.1 SPG* (career high)
51.3% FG* (career high)
44.7% 3PT* (career high)
62.5% on corner 3s* (career high)

No… pic.twitter.com/DkWoIOamVU

— JSM (@JSMonYT) March 19, 2025

That is more PPG than Gabe Vincent, more RPG than DFS, and more SPG than Vanderbilt. Goodwin has worked out about as well as a two-way contract could.

If the Lakers do decide to part ways with Reddish and Len, Goodwin has to have an automatic bid for one of those contracts. Frankly, I think the team should try to bring him back next season on a veteran minimum, but let’s see how he performs in the playoffs.

Lakers Big Room

When you look at this team, there is really only one major hole: The center position. Depth at that position even plagued the team while AD was still around. Since then, Jaxson Hayes has risen to the challenge of becoming the team’s clear-cut number-one center.

While Jaxson has been phenomenal since the addition of Luka Doncic, he can’t be the only center getting rotational minutes in the playoffs. Right now, the Lakers back up Hayes with a group of Alex Len, Trey Jemison lll, and Christian Koloko.

The only problem with that is that only one of those three is eligible to play in the playoffs, and that is the worst of the three.

Because Jemison and Koloko are both on two-way contracts, that would prohibit them from playing playoff basketball. Cutting Len and Reddish to make space for Goodwin and one of Koloko or Jemison makes too much sense for this team, as Len is proving to be nearly unplayable.

Koloko vs Jemison III

When comparing these two bigs, it’s important to remember what the ultimate goal is. For these two, it’s filling in the margins with minimal playoff minutes. Playoff basketball is a different beast.

The pace slows down, the refs swallow their whistles, and offenses become halfcourt dominant. Which of these two bigs better fits the bill?

“You want this win, you have to come fight us, literally fight us … let Bron and Luka go kill and let us do our dirty work”

😤😤😤

– Trey Jemison III on the Lakers pic.twitter.com/BmjxRgvGpk

— TrendingSportsPodcast (@TrendingSportsP) March 1, 2025

That would be Trey Jemison. Both his and Koloko’s stats are nearly identical, but the intangible factors give Jemison the edge. While two inches shorter than Koloko, Jemison carries a much larger frame with an additional 40 pounds.

When the playoffs roll around and you need hard-nosed halfcourt defense and a dog mentality, I think Jemison fits that description a little more.