Gabe Vincent keeps making the Heat look genius for letting him walk

Following the Miami Heat’s miraculous run to the 2023 NBA Finals, it came time to make decisions on bringing back some of their free agents. One of them was Gabe Vincent, who developed into a key starter at the point guard position for that same season. 

The Heat reportedly made an offer to retain the services of Vincent, but he ultimately took a bigger payday with the Los Angeles Lakers. They signed the young guard to a three-year, $33 million contract— which seemed like a steal based on his previous experience in South Beach. He averaged 12.7 points, 3.5 assists and nearly one steal across 22 games in the 2023 postseason. 

Vincent had five 20-plus point outings in those playoffs, including a career-high of 29 points against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. He posted a true shooting percentage of 53.5%, and the Heat outscored teams by 27 points during 30.5 minutes throughout his 22 games played. 

The Lakers haven't gotten anything close to the version of Gabe Vincent who helped the Miami Heat make the 2023 NBA Finals.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, they have not received anything close to this version of Vincent since his signing.

Last season was a wash for the 28-year-old, as he only appeared in 11 games due to a plagued injury campaign. This year, he is averaging a pedestrian 3.9 points on 34% shooting and 28% from 3-point range in 19 minutes. 

Vincent was one of the Heat’s best examples of their storied development program. He went from being undrafted, to working his way into Miami’s rotation all the way to the starting lineup. His progression was good enough to demote the veteran Kyle Lowry to a bench role at the time. 

Fit and role matters a lot in finding the perfect destination in the NBA. And coach Erik Spoelstra was able to unlock a lot of Vincent’s abilities as a high energy two-way combo guard. He valued what he was able to bring to the table, something that the Lakers staff haven’t shown with such minimal opportunity and lower usage for him. It has been evident that Vincent hasn't been able to find his footing in the Lakers rotation.

This is just another example of certain players that haven’t been able to find the same success once they leave Spoelstra’s system. It has taken place with guys like Hassan Whiteside, Kendrick Nunn, Justise Winslow, Rodney McGruder, Tyler Johnson and even Josh Richardson until he found his way back to the 305. Miami’s scouting department has proved that they will always have the next impact player ready for an opportunity, and it’s shown with Dru Smith’s recent emergence.

At the end of the day, money talks. Vincent preferred to take a slightly higher salary over sticking with a perfect situation he was in on the Heat. But his steep decline with the Lakers has made Pat Riley and the front office look smart by letting him go.