The Los Angeles Lakers’ big offseason move was using their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign former Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent, helping replace what they lost by letting Dennis Schroder walk in free agency.
Unfortunately, the Lakers have yet to see the benefits of that signing as Vincent has only been able to play five games this season due to a lingering knee injury. After being diagnosed with knee effusion, Vincent sat out some games to rest the injury hoping he did not need surgery.
After returning for one game against the Chicago Bulls in late December, Vincent’s knee continued to bother him so he eventually got the surgery with the team announcing he would be re-evaluated in around eight weeks.
It is currently at around the halfway mark of that eight-week timetable and while the Lakers have not given any sort of update on the guard, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports is reporting that his recovery is on schedule and he’s still projected to return around the beginning of March:
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent, who’s become included in Los Angeles’ outgoing trade conversations, sources said, appears on track to return by early March. Vincent underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee during the final days of December. He was given an 8-10 week recovery period and has so far been recuperating on schedule, sources said.
This is good news for the Lakers as they will need Vincent for the homestretch of the regular season and the postseason if they are going to make so noise.
Vincent was a key piece of the Heat’s run to the NBA Finals last season, showing that he is not afraid of the moment in big playoff games.
The injury bug has certainly not been kind to the Lakers this season with Jarred Vanderbilt being the latest to go down with a potentially season-ending issue. With reinforcements in the form of Vincent potentially on the way though, hopefully everyone else could stay healthy so the team can make a legit run in the second half of the season.
Gabe Vincent’s name being included in Lakers trade talks
Getting Vincent back in March would be a boost for the Lakers, although it is also possible that he is no longer in the organization by then.
Given the Lakers’ lack of assets and salaries to match in potential trades, Vincent’s name has come up in recent rumors even though he has been dealing with an injury. While Vincent doesn’t appear to have a lot of value across the league, the Lakers could use his salary with draft compensation to make roster upgrades if they choose to go that route.
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