Jordan Goodwin enters the opener at Portland as the Suns' lowest-cost rotation guard and one of their steadier numbers from last season. On a payroll of $213.8M, his line is the kind the roster around Devin Booker depends on.
The job, stated plainly. Goodwin is 27, a 6-foot-nothing guard in his fifth year of service, wearing 23 behind Booker, Jalen Green and Collin Gillespie. He is not here to create. He is here to take the ball away, grab boards a guard should not grab and hit the open corner.
The line last season. Seventy games, 22.5 minutes, 8.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists. The detail that stands out is 1.5 steals against 1.0 turnovers a night. A guard who takes more than he gives away is rare on a roster that leans on Booker and Green to handle everything.
The shot that pays. He made 37.1 percent of 4.3 threes a game last season, which is the whole offensive case. The rest is thin: 41.3 percent overall, 69.6 percent at the line, a true shooting mark of 52.5 percent. Keep him in the corner and the math works. Ask for more and it does not.
Numbers under the hood. Goodwin's defensive rating sat at 110.1 last season while the Suns as a team allowed 112.9. His net rating of 3.3 beat the team's 1.4. Usage was 16.7 percent, a rebound share of 10.5 percent for a guard, and an assist rate of 13.6 percent. Low usage, high impact.
The contract math. He earns $5.9M this season, $6.3M in 2027-28 and holds a $6.8M player option for 2028-29. Against a $213.8M payroll that sits past the league's first apron and a $200.4M tax line, with Booker at $57.1M and Green at $36.3M, Goodwin is the discount this cap sheet needs.
The health column. Goodwin is not on the injury report. Kennard and Ighodaro are both listed, each with October 21 pegged as a return date. Mark Williams is out until an expected February 3, 2027. With the center spot thin, a guard pulling 4.9 rebounds a night is more than a footnote.
The verdict. Goodwin has to be the steadying hand: 37 percent from three, a steal a half, no turnovers, and a defensive number the starters cannot match. If he delivers that for 22 minutes, Jordan Ott has a cheap answer every time a star sits. Nothing more is required, and nothing less will do.
How much is Jordan Goodwin making with the Suns?
Goodwin earns $5.9M in 2026-27 and $6.3M in 2027-28, then holds a $6.8M player option for 2028-29.
Is Jordan Goodwin healthy for the Suns' season opener at Portland?
Yes, he is not on the injury report. Kennard and Ighodaro are listed with October 21 as the pegged return, and Mark Williams is out until February 2027.
