3 Lakers Leaving Los Angeles in the New Year
By Cem Yolbulan
The Los Angeles Lakers are entering a pivotal year. The 2025 calendar year will be a make-or-break one for the franchise, as it is desperately trying to stay relevant and competitive in the dawn of LeBron James' career. How the Lakers surround their 40-year-old superstar and Anthony Davis will determine how far they will go in the 2025 playoffs.
The Lakers will try to turn themselves into championship contenders at the trade deadline. In order to do that, they will have to part ways with a couple of their players. They also have plenty of key players hitting free agency at the end of the season. These names will almost certainly not be able to make it past 2025 in Los Angeles. Let's take a look at some Lakers for who the clock is ticking.
1. Gabe Vincent
After a completely lost 2023-24 season in which he missed all but 11 regular-season games, Vincent is healthy and a regular rotation player for the Lakers. He hasn't missed a game all season and plays over 19 minutes per game off the bench.
Unfortunately, however, the 28-year-old combo guard still hasn't lived up to the three-year, $33 million deal he signed in the 2023 offseason. In his minutes this season, he is averaging 4.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1 assist per game with 37.6% shooting from the field, and 33% from downtown. His lack of efficiency and shooting on the offensive end of the court makes things difficult for the Lakers offense.
Vincent's calling card is his defense. He is one of the better perimeter defenders for this team with his ability to get over screens, stick to shooters, and make things difficult for the opponent.
As a bench player, he is not the worst option. He is also not the biggest problem for the Lakers. However, this team desperately needs two-way players and Vincent doesn't move the needle enough to keep around past the trade deadline.
His $11 million salary for this season makes him a good trade chip. These types of mid-sized contracts are valuable to match salaries in any deal, making Vincent an ideal trade asset.
Even if Vincent stays past this deadline, he will likely be gone in the offseason. He will be on an expiring contract in the summer, increasing his appeal for other teams in the league. If he stays healthy all season, he could even boost his trade value.