NBA Teams Gain New Flexibility on 2025/26 Waiver Wire, Suns Pick Up Jordan Goodwin
Slug: nba-2025-26-waiver-claims-suns-jordan-goodwin
The 2025/26 league year is the first in which clubs can deploy the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, room exception, or bi-annual exception to grab players placed on waivers, provided the outgoing salary does not exceed the mid-level threshold of roughly $14.1 million.
Under previous rules, a team needed available cap room, a traded-player exception, or a disabled-player exception to absorb a contract in full. The expanded toolbox is expected to help front offices target modestly priced contributors who become roster casualties elsewhere.
Minimum-salary rules still dominate claims
Despite the added options, most waiver pickups historically involve minimum deals. Any franchise may claim a minimum-salary player by using the minimum exception, but only if the contract meets specific criteria:
- The pact must be no longer than two years.
- The player cannot have earned more than the minimum in an earlier season of the contract.
If a three-year minimum contract or a deal previously above the minimum hits waivers, the minimum exception no longer applies.
Waiver activity remains rare
Waiver claims remain an infrequent transaction after the draft and early free-agency surge, when many teams are short on both roster spots and spending capacity. The 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons each featured six claims, while 2023/24 saw only three. The seven claims recorded last year marked the highest total since 2019/20.
First recorded claim of 2025/26
July 23 — Phoenix Suns claim Jordan Goodwin from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Goodwin, 26, was a key reserve for Los Angeles after the All-Star break last season. The Lakers, hard-capped at the first apron while finalizing a deal for Marcus Smart, waived the guard to free salary. Goodwin’s contract is a minimum-salary deal worth $2.35 million with only $25,000 guaranteed. By claiming him, Phoenix assumes the entire pact, sparing Los Angeles even the partial guarantee. The veteran will head to training camp fighting for a back-court role opposite Jared Butler, whose contract is also non-guaranteed.
The list of 2025/26 waiver claims will be updated as additional moves occur.
Source: Hoops Rumors
