Few players stick out as more obvious trade candidates for the Los Angeles Lakers than Gabe Vincent. That is what makes it all the more disappointing when analyzing the type of value Vincent has around the league right now.
Jovan Buha discussed the matter on a recent episode of his podcast, Buha's Block. The Lakers insider did not offer an optimistic viewpoint of how Vincent and fellow trade candidate Maxi Kleber are being discussed.
Buha said, "Both guys, depending on who you talk to, depending on who you survey, have somewhere between slightly negative to just negative value. I would not consider either one of these guys neutral to positive value players, in terms of their contract, even with being on an expiring."
The silver lining offered by the Lakers reporter was how this could shift in closer proximity to the trade deadline. Right now, the market is just not there for Vincent or Kleber.
Gabe Vincent will need to rebuild his reputation early with the Lakers
Another brutal playoff flop for Vincent in Los Angeles has continued to grow the regret of the initial signing during the summer of 2023. Many have quickly started looking towards Bronny James as someone who can push the Lakers guard out of the rotation entirely.
Vincent joined the Lakers off the back of a strong 2023 playoff run with the Miami Heat. The former Heat guard averaged 12.7 points and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 37.8 percent from beyond the arc, and playing hard-nosed defense throughout the team's push to the NBA Finals.
Gabe Vincent is HOOPING ♨️ pic.twitter.com/Mkcu5Xe5yc
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 5, 2023
In two seasons with the Lakers, Vincent has averaged a painful 2.1 points and 0.8 assists in 16.8 minutes per game off the bench during his 10 appearances. The shooting numbers of 30.8 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from distance are equally dreadful.
October through February needs to be the period in which Vincent rebuilds his value for the Lakers. Otherwise, Rob Pelinka will have a very tough time delivering on the type of opportunism that is needed for Los Angeles to truly elevate themselves among the top Western Conference powerhouses.
Perhaps Vincent can even earn enough good will to truly make the Lakers believe it is in their best interests to keep him around. However, gambling on the inconsistencies of the backup guard is a very unreliable bet for a team searching for a path to title contention.
The hope here would be that last time Vincent was in a contract year, the streaky guard delivered. If that is the case for the Lakers in 2025-26, selling high will be exactly what they need.