Gabe Vincent has agreed to a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $33m according to Senior lead NBA Insider for The Athletic and Stadium Shams Chanaria.
This is a life-changing contract for Vincent whose prior career earnings with the Miami Heat totaled $3.5 million over three-plus seasons. Undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Vincent signed a two-way contract with the Heat in 2020 before being offered a standard two-year NBA contract in 2021.
The 27-year-old former University of Santa Barbara played an instrumental part in the Heat’s road to the 2023 NBA Finals where they lost 4-1 to the Denver Nuggets. He featured in all of the Heat post-season games except for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics which he missed due to an ankle injury.
The performance of D’Tigers star during the regular and playoffs had caught the eyes of some of the most prominent General Managers in the league as well as top front office executives. He had also been linked to the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Dallas Mavericks amongst others.
Vincent had been expected to remain with the Heat but the Heat president Pat Riley only offered the California native who had become a free agent an $8m a year contract when they met earlier this week which the Lakers could match and surpass easily.
During the 2022/23 season, Vincent maintained a scoring average of 9.4 points per game. However, he truly shone during the playoffs, particularly when Heat guard Tyler Herro suffered a hand injury in the opening game of the first round.
Throughout the postseason, Vincent demonstrated his capabilities by registering five games with at least 20 points, accomplishing this milestone in every round. Notably, he made an impressive 51 3-pointers during the playoffs, which places him third on the list of Heat players with the most 3-pointers in postseason history.