The Wizards intend to promote guard Jordan Goodwin from his two-way contract to a standard deal, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The move had long been expected once Washington was able to open up a roster spot, since Goodwin has been a rotation player since November and had reached his limit of 50 active games. The Wizards reportedly completed a buyout agreement with Will Barton on Tuesday, creating the opening necessary to promote Goodwin.
Goodwin has averaged 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 18.1 minutes per game across 40 appearances for the Wizards this season, posting a solid shooting line of .453/.388/.750.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN noted earlier today (via Twitter), the Wizards are approximately $2.1MM below the luxury tax line, so they have the flexibility to sign Goodwin without surpassing that threshold. The club also has a portion of its mid-level exception available and could use it to give the 24-year-old a three- or four-year contract offer rather than just a one- or two-year pact.
We’ll see what sort of deal Goodwin and the Wizards agree to, but a partially guaranteed three-year contract with a team option on the final year might make sense for both sides. That would give Goodwin a little security and would give the Wizards the option of making the former Saint Louis standout a restricted free agent in the summer of 2024.