For a brief moment in time, it appeared as though a reunion between Gabe Vincent and the Miami Heat was a realistic possibility. Vincent's turbulent tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers came to a sudden end on the morning of Feb. 5, with a trade that left some questioning if the buyout market was next.
Unfortunately, the Heat will have to wait until the offseason to potentially explore the virtue of bringing Vincent back to South Beach.
Vincent, 29, played for the Heat between 2020 and 2023. During that time, he won fans' hearts with his rugged defense and clutch postseason heroics. Unfortunately, his time with the Lakers was less fruitful, as injuries derailed his progress.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Lakers have officially ended the Vincent experiment with a trade to the Atlanta Hawks for sharpshooter Luke Kenanrd and a second-round draft pick.
The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for Luke Kennard, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2026
Speculation immediately mounted that Vincent could be bought out by the Hawks, but Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reports that Atlanta intends to keep him.
I'm told the plan is for Atlanta to keep both of Gabe Vincent and Buddy Hield.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 5, 2026
As such, the Heat will have to wait until the offseason to potentially explore a reunion with a player who helped fuel their run to the 2023 NBA Finals.
Hawks aren't expected to buy out former Heat hero Gabe Vincent
Vincent thrived during his final two seasons in Miami. He averaged 9.1 points, 2.8 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 1.7 three-point field goals made in just 24.6 minutes per game, all the while defending multiple perimeter positions at a high level.
That culminated in 2022-23, when Vincent solidified his place as a high-level defender by ranking in the 69th percentile or higher in all of ball screen navigation, off-ball chaser defense, passing lane defense, perimeter isolation defense, and pickpocket rating, per Basketball Index.
The 2023 NBA Playoffs were when solid became spectacular. He rose to the occasion with five 20-point games during the Heat's run to the 2023 NBA Finals, including 22 in the closeout game of the first-round series and 29 in a crucial win over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Vincent even had 19 and 23-point games during the NBA Finals, thus cementing his reputation as one of the most sought-after two-way role players ahead of the 2023 period of free agency.
With that in mind, it's fair to believe Miami would've at least entertained bringing him back via the buyout market if the opportunity had presented itself. He's a clear fit for Erik Spoelstra's system and ideology, and has the familiarity with Heat Culture to seamlessly reintegrate into the rotation.
Unfortunately, any dream of bringing Vincent back to Miami will have to wait until the 2026 offseason to be viewed as anything resembling realistic.