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After an amazing run with the Miami Heat, Gabe Vincent is signing with the Los Angeles Lakers on a three-year, $33 million deal. Vincent, who went undrafted in 2018, spent four seasons in Miami and is now moving to the West Coast on the first day of the 2023 NBA free agency.
Are Vincent and the Lakers a Good Fit?
Vincent made a huge leap from being just another undrafted undersized point guard in 2018 to playing a starting role with the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals. After playing only 9 games in his rookie season, Vincent started 34 of the 68 regular season games for Miami last season. He averaged 9.4 points and 2.3 assists per game during the regular season and 9 points and 3 assists in the Playoffs.
However, these are not great numbers, and it is pretty unlikely that Vincent would get as big of a role with the Lakers. Furthermore, the Lakers are a team that constantly had a problem with shooting percentages in the last couple of years and Vincent is not the type of player who can help them improve in that part. If we take a look at his shooting stats, the 6-2 guard shot only 40.2% from the field and 33.4% from the three-point line last season.
So the real question is, why would he move to the Lakers?
One of the reasons may be the fact that Vincent is actually from California, and he would be able to be close to home. The other reason is simply the salary. Last season, Vincent earned $1.66 million with the Heat and in the four years in Miami he got around $5 million in total. Now, the Lakers will pay him $11 million annually which is more what the Heat were ready to offer him as they are targeting other players in the free agency.
When it comes to basketball, Vincent would probably come off the bench in LA as just like with the Heat, his role would be more on the defensive end of the floor.
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