It's not that Gabe Vincent is a bad basketball player. That much is not true. It's the fact that Vincent has never lived up to the contract he received from the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2023 offseason. That is the $33 million problem for the Lakers.
That big payday has always given Vincent leeway to get second chances and continue to be featured in the Lakers rotation. The price tag had to be justified. The problem is there were just so many moments of regret spurned from that unfortunate reality.
The good news for the Lakers is Vincent's deal comes off the books after this season. That will allow Los Angeles to either let him walk, or bring him back as depth option at a salary much closer to the level of player he is today, keeping him out of the actual rotation in the process.
Even with that shining light at the end of the tunnel, the Vincent experience will remain the inconsistent mess it has been as long as the veteran guard is in Los Angeles. If the Lakers want to escape that, they must consider sacrificing future flexibility for a win-now upside.
Lakers are burning $11.5 million on a rotation spot they can’t afford to waste
The Lakers bench has been absolutely brutal for the last few seasons. There are multiple reasons for that. It can't all be pinned on Vincent, but a portion of it certainly can.
Los Angeles needed him to be a reliable backup point guard who was capable of giving the bench unit a lift. They have never consistently gotten that. Vincent will have stretches of hot shooting that raise his viability. They are too far and few in between.
The added problem has been the injuries. Vincent has missed a lot of time as a member of the Lakers. It was only a few days ago the backup guard return from an injury that kept him out of action since Dec. 14 before that.
There is certainly reason to believe the Lakers are readying themselves to just cut their losses in the summer, and attempt to revamp around Luka Doncic then. That may just be the best approach in the grand scheme of things but it adds yet another example of the franchise not pushing all-in when an extra move or two could really send them upward.
If the Lakers wanted to maximize their window of opportunity in 2025-26, Vincent would be gone by Feb. 5. Unfortunately for those seeking a true contender in Los Angeles this season, that may not come to pass.