After Gabe Vincent was traded away from the Los Angeles Lakers as a part of the Luke Kennard trade, there were many who emerged to share in the wistful feelings of his departure. Fans of the team, by contrast, were certainly not among them.
JJ Redick mentioned his gratefulness for getting to work with Vincent. Dan Woike and other members of the media shared heartful messages about his departure too.
Woike said, "Not what people want to hear, but the Lakers and the people who worked with and around the team benefitted immensely from Gabe Vincent’s professionalism. Was always available, thoughtful and accountable with the press. Has the respect of his peers."
Lakers fans are not in here disputing the quality of Vincent as a person. Considering everything that is being said by people who knew him much better, it sounds like the Atlanta Hawks are set to receive a warm presence inside of their franchise. They just shouldn't expect a huge lift from him on the court, in terms of his own individual production.
That is something Lakers fans have been screaming to the heavens about for ages. The front office finally listened to the outcry and made the move to swap him for a player who should be capable of providing individual impact on the floor.
Gabe Vincent’s exit delivers what Lakers fans have wanted for a long time
Vincent never lived up to the expectations that followed him to Los Angeles after his playoff run with the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. The now former Lakers guard never really even came that close.
During the postseason that got him paid, Vincent averaged 12.7 points and 3.5 assists in 30.5 minutes per game, shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc. That is the player Los Angeles wanted.
The player they got was, well, much worse. Upon his departure from the Lakers, Vincent's career in purple and gold officially wraps up with averages of 5.6 points and 1.4 assists in 20.6 minutes per game. His shooting splits were an ugly 38-34-77.
This all comes before even mentioning the postseason shortcomings in terms of his production. The less said about that, the better. It will only hurt Lakers fans further.
Pivoting to Kennard gives Los Angeles a player who should be able to provide the shooting spark that Vincent could never bring consistently. No one is slighting Vincent the person. The basketball player? He was incredibly underwhelming.