Overpaid Laker Stealing From the Team With His 2024-25 Performance
There is no denying it: Gabe Vincent is absolutely robbing the Los Angeles Lakers with his dismal performance in the 2024-25 season. With the All-Star festivities behind us, the NBA regular season is back in full swing.
The Lakers’ main focus moving forward is securing a playoff spot, a very real possibility given their current fifth-place standing in the Western Conference with a 32-20 record. It is crucial for every player to contribute and help build momentum as the season progresses, meaning that everyone — from stars like Luka Doncic and LeBron James to the role players — must perform to their full potential.
While fans don’t have to worry about some players stepping up, one veteran has been consistently letting the team down all season long.
Gabe Vincent’s Lackluster Performance Is Draining the Lakers
Despite some Lakers players underperforming relative to their contracts, Gabe Vincent stands out as one of the biggest liabilities on the team.
Vincent joined the Lakers on a three-year, $33 million deal before the 2023-24 season. The former undrafted free agent from 2018 had just come off a solid year with the Miami Heat, where he averaged 9.4 points, 2.5 assists, and 0.9 steals in 68 games during the 2022-23 season.
Injuries restricted Vincent to just 11 appearances in his first year with the Lakers, leaving fans hoping for better things in his second season. Unfortunately, as many L.A. fans know, the results have been disappointing.
Through 44 games (6 starts) in the 2024-25 season, Vincent is averaging just 5.7 points, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 rebounds, with shooting splits of 40.9% from the field and 35.0% from beyond the arc. While these numbers are an improvement over his previous season, they still fall far short of what the Lakers expected from a player earning $11 million this year — especially since he appears to be getting slower as time goes on.
Vincent’s play showed improvement before the All-Star break, with averages of 9.4 points and 2.9 assists, along with shooting splits of .477/.394/.500 over his last 11 games. Despite this recent uptick, his performance still isn’t worth the money he’s taking from the Lakers.
Unless Vincent manages to impress head coach JJ Redick and general manager Rob Pelinka during the stretch run and playoffs, he is a strong candidate to be traded in the offseason. The Lakers will likely look to bolster their roster around Doncic and James, and Vincent’s $11.5 million salary could prove to be a valuable trade asset to help secure another star player.
NBA teams can begin trading once their season concludes, so Vincent has a few months left to determine his future. For now, he can help the Lakers take advantage of their position, as they currently have the sixth-best odds (+1800) to win the 2025 NBA Finals, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.