“When it came down to it, business got in the way and there were certain points that the Heat could only get to and other teams were able to get more”. Gabe Vincent was pretty candid when discussing his major decision to bid adieu to the Miami Heat and join the LA Lakers. Having gone undrafted and biding his time in the G-League, it was Pat Riley’s franchise that gave him a home and a shot at facing the big competitors. In the end, Riley had his restrictions over long-term loyalty. But when looking at the difference between what the player was earning earlier, and what he’s earning now, no one could blame him for taking the major leap.

Therefore, without any further ado, let us delve into the details of the paycheck for which Gabe Vincent was willing to leave the Miami Heat for good.

How much are the Los Angeles Lakers paying Gabe Vincent? When does he become a free agent?

Gabe Vincent is currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers under a 3-year, $33 million contract. Signed back in July 2023, it is set to run until the 2025-26 season. After that, the player will either get an extension or will become an unrestricted free agent.

According to the terms, they will pay the point guard $11 million this season. As a result, he ranks as the 154th highest-paid player of the ongoing tournament. The ranking tied his salary amount with that of Moritz Wagner, Aaron Nesmith, and Maxi Kleber. Having already made $10.5M from the previous 2024 season, Vincent will earn $11M and $11.5M, respectively, in the next two years.

How much did Gabe Vincent earn with the Miami Heat? Was he traded to the Lakers?

After spending two years solely in the G League, Gabe Vincent signed with the Miami Heat back in January 2020. He was initially taken in under a two-way contract. This meant that he had to split his time between the NBA and the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate. Per Salary Swish, the two-way contract was worth 1 year, $449,155, carrying a base salary of just a mere $50,000.

Within the span of a year, Vincent had created a memorable impression. He was averaging 20.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 31 G League games. For the main NBA team, he averaged 4.8 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in the 2020-21 season. As a result, when Gabe joined the Heat for the Summer League back in August 2021, they awarded him a veteran contract in just five days!

Signed on August 6, the deal provided him $3.48 million over 2 years. $1.66 million of the amount was guaranteed, while the player earned an average annual salary of around $1.74 million. Furthermore, the cap hit ranged between $1.6 million to $1.8 million.

Gabe Vincent rose to prominence during the 2023 playoffs. During the same, he averaged 12.7 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 22 games. His stats, especially during Game 3 of the East Finals, and the NBA Finals, made him a topic of conversation. As Vincent himself would later highlight, “I think I had a good playoff run, and I think that changed my value.”

Sure enough, the Lakers had attempted to acquire the player, as they looked to fill the gap left by Dennis Schroder after he signed with the Raptors. Despite the appeal from the Lakers, the Heat still made an attempt to retain Vincent. According to reports, they presented a final offer to the player, which would have given him $34 million over four years. Meanwhile, the Lakers had put out an offer that would give Vincent at least $3 million more. In the end, the hoopster signed with LeBron James and Co.

When was Gabe Vincent drafted?

After graduating from the University of California, Gabe Vincent immediately put his name forward for the 2018 NBA Draft. In his 4 seasons at college, he averaged 12.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Despite this, the stats weren’t impressive enough to make him a pick. Fortunately, he had done a pre-draft workout with the Kings, and they were willing to give him an Exhibition 10 contract.

Despite the $838,464 contract being for one year, the team waived Vincent only a couple of days after they took him in. As a result, he spent two seasons in the Stockton Kings. His performance jumped up to 23.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists during the 2019-20 G League season. Soon, the player caught the attention of the management over at the Miami Heat. The rest, as they say, is history.

Given his performance in the 2023 Playoffs, one would assume that the Lakers traded a really good player. Right?

NBA reporter predicts that the Lakers will regret Gabe Vincent’s $33 million contract

Back in September, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus presented a ranking. It listed the contracts he believed teams would regret. Gabe Vincent was the representative for the Lakers! HoopsHype reporter Michael Scotto viewed Vincent as a “negative asset” months before this report came out. After all, the point guard had played in only 11 games during the 2023-24 season.

He missed the bulk of it after getting surgery to treat his knee injury. In his limited appearances, Gabe averaged only 3.1 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. His shooting skills were not at all memorable, with his field goals at 30.6%, and 3-point shooting at 10.7%. In light of this, Pincus made it clear that the money could have certainly gone somewhere else.

“L.A.’s budget was so tight that it couldn’t add free agents on standard contracts this offseason (outside of its two drafted players)” wrote Pincus. However, looking for some hope, he also wrote, “Vincent may bounce back with a healthy season.”

After playing 20 games in the ongoing season, and starting in 1, Gabe Vincent’s stats are no better. After all, he has averaged only 3.2 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. If the hoopster continues at this rate, we can assume that a contract extension certainly won’t be on the horizon for him.