In explaining why he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, Gabe Vincent seemingly took a bit of a shot at his former team, the Miami Heat.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had a busy offseason. While the organization did not have a lot of salary cap flexibility, they still had several priorities heading into NBA free agency. At the top of the list was re-signing talented young forwards Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. The organization was able to accomplish both goals earlier this month.
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They also hoped to add some depth and improve their bench. They did that too when they were surprisingly able to add point guard Gabe Vincent. The Modesto, CA native made a major impact on the Miami Heat last season as he was able to take the starting point guard job away from Kyle Lowry and built a reputation as a clutch shooter.
The move was surprising since he had earned such a prominent role with the team, and the organization had hoped to retain his services. Furthermore, leaving a team that just reached the NBA Finals and still seemingly has championship upside is a bit unorthodox. However, there are several things that played a role in Vincent’s decision to join the Lakers.
Gabe Vincent suggests Los Angeles Lakers have more championship potential than Heat
Obviously, money is important, and the ability to play close to home was very appealing for the 27-year-old. However, it seems that even though he is likely to be a reserve in Los Angeles, Vincent sees more championship upside in the Lakers — a team that fell short of reaching the NBA Finals — than the Miami Heat.
Earlier this week during an introductory media scrum, Vincent claimed he chose the Lakers because he wanted to join a contending team and compete for championships. That is a surprising perspective considering he was part of a Heat team that went to consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, while the Los Angeles Lakers were actually out of the NBA playoffs in 2021-2022.
- Gabe Vincent stats (’22-’23): 9.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 33% 3PT
It seems like a bit of an indictment of the Heat and their inability to add the extra star needed to make them serious title contenders.