Former Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent made a name for himself during last year’s postseason, leading into his impending free agency. He averaged 12.7 points, 3.5 assists and 1.4 rebounds on 40.2% from the field and 37.8% from 3, which truly caught some eyes throughout the Heat’s NBA Finals run.
After spending his first four seasons in Miami, Vincent made the decision to leave and sign with the Los Angeles Lakers this past summer. He signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Lakers, who would fill the hole of Dennis Schroder, who signed with the Toronto Raptors.
L.A. was clearly bought in on the playoff performance from Vincent and was willing to commit long-term, adding more defense and 3-point shooting to the guard position. Ahead of the Lakers’ only game in Miami this season, Vincent opened up about his free agency process, via Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald:
“I think I had a good playoff run, and I think that changed my value,” Vincent said when asked why he ultimately didn’t return to the Heat in free agency. “ I think once that changed, it just became more difficult. I think Miami wanted me to be there. I think I was naturally looking to return to the team I just had a Finals run with and the team I had been with for the last three or four seasons. It’s unfortunate it didn’t work out. But my value had changed.”
While it must have been hard to leave the Heat, who are coming off a second Finals appearance in three years, Vincent revealed that the money that L.A. offered did play a factor in him leaving:
“I’m not going to sit here and act like the dollar figure didn’t play a role at all. It did. I’m human,” Vincent said of his free-agent decision to sign with the Lakers. “A guy like me with my kind of background, we don’t see opportunities like this often. So I wanted to make sure that I took the best situation overall for me.”
Being undrafted, it made sense for Vincent to cash in on a payday after working his way through the G League to validate that he is capable of playing in the NBA:
“My taxes took a hit and it still ended up being more,” Vincent said. “Some people will say it’s not much more. But I also was in the G League a year and a half and I was on a much different salary. So I don’t undervalue any bit of it. Obviously, I’m grateful to the Heat and I’m grateful to the Lakers, and I’m excited to have this opportunity and I’m just trying to make the most of it.”
Despite not being able to win a championship with the Heat, the guard still has postseason experience and knows what it takes to get to the Finals.
The Lakers are always in championship mode and after making the Western Conference Finals, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka wanted to add more defense and shooting for the 2023-24 season and Vincent fits that mold. With renewed depth, L.A. believes they certainly have enough to win their 18th championship.
Vincent trusts that 3-pointers will start falling
The 2023-24 season has not started the way Vincent would like with his 3-point shooting struggles. In the four games played thus far, he is 1-for-14 from 3, but he believes his shots will start falling eventually.
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