With the end of August approaching, one thing that lacks a clear timeframe for finality by comparison is the free agency saga of Gabe Vincent. We are at the point of the offseason where the former Los Angeles Lakers guard is one of the stronger names available. Despite that, there has been no significant traction on where his next destination will be.
A return to the Miami Heat has been floated as an option, just not an extremely likely one, as of now. Heat insider Barry Jackson suggested as much in a recent write-up for the Miami Herald.
"The Heat has 12 players on standard deals; the 13th would go to [Klay] Thompson if Dallas buys him out and he agrees to terms. The 14th could go to a center, with small forward DeMar DeRozan and guard Gabe Vincent among others who have received consideration."
That 13th spot is indeed going to Klay, after news of his buyout on Friday. DeRozan, on the other hand, is headed to the Denver Nuggets.
That aside, even with the Heat, it is clear Vincent is far from a priority. That is quite telling considering his best years were down in South Beach under Erik Spoelstra. Those were the seasons that enticed the Lakers to bring him in on a three-year, $33 million deal in the first place. The two and a half years in Los Angeles crushed his career momentum.
Gabe Vincent failing in Los Angeles has his NBA career on life support
Vincent's time in Los Angeles was rough. Injuries were a big part of his story in the early chunk of his new deal. The now former Laker only played 11 regular season games in 2023-24 before suiting up for five playoff contests.
The healthier years that followed did not include a return to the player who the Lakers hoped they were getting. 2024-25 was his most successful regular season, and even that ended horribly by the time it was the NBA Playoffs. We will get to that.
Lakers fans quickly grew frustrated with Vincent, and celebrated mightily when he was traded along with a second-round pick for Luke Kennard in 2025-26. Given the track record up until that point, there was just cause for that giddiness.
In 112 regular season games for the Lakers, Vincent averaged 5.6 points, 1.4 assists, and 0.7 steals, with shooting splits of 38-34-77 in 20.6 minutes per game. If you think that is underwhelming, the playoff numbers were much worse.
Vincent appeared in 10 postseason contests for the Lakers, playing 16.8 minutes a night. The veteran guard averaged 2.1 points per game on 30.8 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc. Sheesh.
With no bounce-back during his time with the Hawks in 2025-26, the most lasting memory of Vincent remained his awful Lakers tenure. It should be no shock that teams have not rushed to sign him as a result.
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