Rob Pelinka’s trade work needs to be studied. On one hand, he got Luka Doncic out of straight goodwill and being friends with Nico Harrison. But on the other, the situation with Cam Reddish put him in a bit of a sticky situation; Reddish was on an expiring $2.4 million contract, barely getting a look in. What did he do? Waive him, and bring Jordan Goodwin – a talented guard on a two-way contract – into the main team. Amazing right? Needless to say, he really exploited the 2nd apron position LA is in.

The 2nd apron is a salary threshold, roughly $17.5 million above the luxury tax line, that imposes significant restrictions on teams exceeding it, limiting their ability to make trades, sign players, and use certain exceptions. The Lakers are well below this, which means they could sign 2 players and still remain under the threshold. Veteran shooting guard Cam Reddish was just a $2.4 million headache on the payroll that needed dealing with. Well, Shams Charania of ESPN has confirmed that he’s been waived off to create space for Goodwin.

In early February, Jordan Goodwin was signed to the Lakers – the South Bay Lakers. It was a two-way contract, allowing him to play and develop in the G League with LA’s affiliates. He was shining in the G League with SBL. Turns out the 14.6/5.9/3.2 stats in 14 games didn’t go unnoticed, as Rob Pelinka wants to sign him on a standard contract – making him a good rotational option during the playoffs run-in.

This could mean a sign of things to come for the Lakers. They’re getting rid of a player who wasn’t really fitting the system for someone who’d impressed in the limited opportunities in the first team. But Goodwin isn’t the only benefactor, as two other stars on a two-way could get their chance due to this shuffle.

Trey Jemison III or Christian Koloko could be joining with Jordan Goodwin

LA are in a all-hands-on-deck kinda situation with their injuries. They only have Rui Hachimura and Maxi Kleber confirmed to be out for their game against the Bulls tonight. But their track record with the injuries hasn’t been clean as of late, with Doncic, LeBron James and Jaxson Hayes having their shared time on the sidelines. To combat this, Trey Jemison III or Christian Koloko are rumored to be getting a shot with standard contracts.

Hayes might be on an impressive run as of now, but he’s risen to prominence very recently. To ease his role as starting center, Trey Jemison III is one of the preferred rotational option for Pelinka. He’s averaged 10.5/7.8/1.8 in just 4 games for them this season. He signed the two-way with the South Bay Lakers in mid-Jan, but will hope to be getting into the swing of things in the NBA too.

Now onto Christian Koloko. The SBL might be languishing in 9th, but Koloko’s contributions have been surreal. Just 10 games played, a 14.8/8.4/1.7 stat line has turned the eyes of the Lakers front office. If not for Jemison III, the signing of Koloko would be an ideal one for the Showtime.

But Cam Reddish isn’t the only one without a team right now. It’s reported that Ukrainian center Alex Len could be waived along with Cam to free up spots to be filled in by the two-wayers or free agents. He joined the team mid-season, but has quickly grown into a surplus option for them. His performances are under a ton of public scrutiny as well, so they might look to get rid before it’s too late.

It’s unfortunate for the veterans, but this is just the way of the world. OKC Thunder have proved the pros of nursing a hungry young team – a philosophy believed by JJ Redick too. With Jordan Goodwin mostly confirmed to be getting Reddish’s spot, who do you think will fill in for Alex Len?