Following the Miami Heat’s miraculous run to the 2023 NBA Finals, it came time to make decisions on bringing back some of their free agents. One of them was Gabe Vincent, who developed into a key starter at the point guard position for that same season.
The Heat reportedly made an offer to retain the services of Vincent, but he ultimately took a bigger payday with the Los Angeles Lakers. They signed the young guard to a three-year, $33 million contract— which seemed like a steal based on his previous experience in South Beach. He averaged 12.7 points, 3.5 assists and nearly one steal across 22 games in the 2023 postseason.
Vincent had five 20-plus point outings in those playoffs, including a career-high of 29 points against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. He posted a true shooting percentage of 53.5%, and the Heat outscored teams by 27 points during 30.5 minutes throughout his 22 games played…