The Phoenix Suns may have made many roster changes this offseason - with the departures of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal by far the biggest - but despite all the new faces, they were still missing a point guard. They missed out on Chris Paul and whiffed on Marcus Smart - which looked like a particularly bad miss - to put them in a tough spot.
We know owner Mat Ishbia likes a known commodity - and with the likes of Russell Westbrook still available - the worry was that he would show he hadn't learnt from past mistakes and go after a faded star who doesn't fit with Devin Booker. That would have been a disaster. Yet just as chatter around the potential of Ben Simmons heading to The Valley heated up, the Suns went and made the right move.
Bringing back Jordan Goodwin is a masterstroke for the franchise.
Point guard Goodwin was waived by the Los Angeles Lakers so that they could make room for Smart, and the Suns were quick to snap up their former player. His first stint in Phoenix was not bad at all - hed showed some of the traits that would make his a useful asset in Los Angeles - but the timing and roster fit wasn't right back then.
An excellent, excellent addition - welcome back Jordan! 💜 https://t.co/G4fpRHUw6t
— Valley of the Suns (@ValleyoftheSuns) July 23, 2025
The Suns had both Booker and Bradley Beal to try and fit together, while Goodwin's time in The Valley came when Grayson Allen was at his best for this team as well. A problem that the Suns most certainly no longer have. There just wasn't a need for a point guard who is tenacious and defensive first, instead they needed a table-setter.
They would eventually get that in Tyus Jones - and while that didn't work out either -this full circle moment with Goodwin now comes at the perfect time. If anything you could make the case he's a better get than Smart - because although the former Boston Celtic is surely going to have a chip on his shoulder - Goodwin is an underrated defender with some size who is familiar with Phoenix.
Crucially he's also capable of being the starting one if needed - and right now he most certainly is - while his backup in Collin Gillespie possesses some of the excellent traits of Goodwin. It is going to be no fun for opposing guards to have to deal with those two for 48 minutes - and although they'll certainly get beaten by their man plenty, it won't ever stop them competing.
You pair Goodwin with somebody like Ryan Dunn on the wing, and all of a sudden Booker has the defensive help that he could have only dreamt of the last two seasons. Goodwin is somehow only 26-years-old as well, and he shot 38.2 percent from 3-point range in 29 games for the Lakers last season.
He's hardly an offensive powerhouse, but not mentioning that he's got something to his game on that end and is not just all heart and hustle would be doing him a disservice. It is ironic that Goodwin came to Phoenix in the Bradley Beal trade with the Washington Wizards, and at the second time of asking he is going to be the best part of that now infamous deal. Welcome back Jordan.