The Los Angeles Lakers fired their last free agency bullet to sign Marcus Smart, and in doing so made it crystal clear they do not see Gabe Vincent as a part of their rotation next season.
Things have been rocky for Vincent since he arrived in Hollywood. The Lakers and their fans were setting off fireworks when the team brought him on board as a free agent in the summer of 2023. Fresh off starting 22 postseason games for the Miami Heat en route to the NBA Finals, it seemed like a steal for the Lakers to add the versatile guard for just $11 million per season.
A knee injury limited him to only 11 games in his first season in the purple and gold, and last year was not a bright spot either. The former UC Santa Barbara guard stayed healthy and appeared in 72 games, but he didn’t have much in the tank. He shot just 40 percent from the field and 35 percent from deep, averaging 6.4 points and a mere 1.4 assists per game.
Entering the final year of his deal, it seemed like a strong possibility that Vincent would be used in a trade as matching salary. That could still happen, but it has not happened yet. That may on the surface seem like the team was ready to commit to Vincent as a backup guard, taking on the defensive assignments that neither Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves wish to take on.
The Lakers replaced Vincent with Marcus Smart
That chance was blown out of the window when the Lakers signed Marcus Smart. He theoretically plays the same roke as Vincent, a veteran ball-handler and defensive pest who can fill in the blanks around offense-first on-ball stars.
The Lakers are betting that Smart can bring a much stronger impact to the team than Vincent was able to last season. That is a massive bet, as last year, for as bad as Vincent was, Smart was not any better. He was a disaster for the Washington Wizards down the stretch.
From the outside, the upgrade from Vincent to Smart does not seem significant. Yet from the inside, Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick and company must believe that Marcus Smart can make a colossal impact on the Lakers. If they thought the value between the two players was close, the team would have never committed their last free agency dollars to a minute upgrade. The Lakers clearly believe in Marcus Smart.
And, conversely, do not believe in Gabe Vincent. The veteran guard is being marginalized to the edges of the Lakers’ rotation, perhaps excised from it completely. He may not have the same defensive pedigree as Smart, but that seems to be an ambitious swing given the team’s other needs and Smart’s checkered injury history.
Marcus Smart could have nothing left in the tank, and the Lakers are forced to turn back to Vincent. He could get injured, and suddenly Vincent is thrust back into the rotation. They may realize that building a team around Reaves, Doncic, LeBron James and Deandre Ayton demands more defensive players, and that Smart is better suited for defending wings and even forwards at this point in his career.
The journey for Vincent is not necessarily over; the team may very well look to trade him, but he could play a role even with Smart on board. By making the move, however, the team is announcing with perfect clarity that they do not believe in Vincent as the backcourt defender that they need and that Marcus Smart is better.
Given how bad Smart has been for over two years now, that is quite the slap to the face of Gabriel Nnamdi Vincent.