Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent reportedly decided not to sign with the New York Knicks, instead opting to wait for a more certain opportunity ahead of the upcoming season.
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Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent remains without a team ahead of the 2026-27 season, but he reportedly turned down an opportunity to sign with the reigning NBA champions.
According to NBA insider Mark Stein, Vincent decided not to sign with the New York Knicks, electing to wait for a more sure-fire opportunity for the upcoming season.
"The Stein Line has learned that former Heat, Lakers and Hawks guard Gabe Vincent could have signed with the Knicks as well to join the wing battle but elected to wait for a more sure-fire opportunity," Stein reports.
Vincent worked out for the Knicks ahead of training camp
According to an earlier report from NBA insider Ian Begley, Vincent was working out with the Knicks ahead of training camp as they continue to monitor their options for their last roster spots for the 2026-27 campaign.
While Vincent decided not to move forward with the Knicks, the franchise added five high-profile names to training camp deals last week.
New York signed Bruce Brown, Ochai Agbaji and John Konchar to compete on the wing, while James Wiseman and Drew Eubanks will battle for frontcourt roles.
The Knicks currently have two open roster spots and sit approximately $3.2 million below the second apron. Without another move, however, New York is expected to have enough room to keep only one of the five players on a standard contract.
One of the Exhibit 9 deals could be converted to a standard contract before the start of the season, while another player may have to wait until later in the campaign for a roster spot to become available, similar to what happened with Landry Shamet last season.
Agbaji, Brown and Konchar are expected to compete for wing minutes, while Eubanks and Wiseman will battle for a place in the frontcourt rotation.
NBA salary cap expert Bobby Marks also noted that New York would likely need to shed salary in a trade in order to enter the regular season with both its 14th and 15th roster spots filled.
Vincent coming off final year of his $33 million contract
The 30-year-old guard is coming off the final year of the three-year, $33 million contract he signed with the Lakers in 2023.
After spending two and a half seasons with the Lakers, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline, where he finished the season.
Vincent appeared in 53 games between the Lakers and Hawks last season, averaging 4.4 points, 1.4 assists and 1.0 rebound while shooting 34.1% from three-point range.
He has career averages of 6.7 points, 1.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds across 331 games.
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