3. Gabe Vincent, PG
It isn't a secret that Gabe Vincent's first season with the Lakers was disappointing. The former UC Santa Barbara playmaker didn't come close to living up to the three-year, $33 million contract he signed with Los Angeles, leaving it up to Vincent to prove this season that he is, in fact, worth his price tag.
Although it wasn't a perfect performance, Vincent's 2024-25 regular season was much better than the previous one. The 28-year-old guard averaged 6.4 points and 1.4 assists while shooting 40.0% from the floor and 35.3% on 4.3 three-point attempts per outing across 72 games.
Vincent looked like he was on track to be a big-time playoff contributor until April hit. He averaged an uninspiring 4.5 points with a 32.3 FG% and 25.9 3P% in his final six regular-season outings, giving Lakers fans unwanted flashbacks of last year's disastrous performance.
Unfortunately, Vincent couldn't step up once the postseason arrived. Like most Lakers, he was invisible against the Timberwolves, putting up only 2.8 PPG while shooting 35.7% from the field and 30.8% from deep, which includes going without a point in the final two games despite playing nearly 39 minutes during that stretch.
No matter how you slice it, Vincent's performance doesn't match the $11.5 million cap hit he'll carry for the 2025-26 campaign. The Lakers need a backup point guard who can consistently show up and facilitate for his teammates, meaning there's a decent chance Vincent will be traded to bring in someone who fits that bill.
Unless Pelinka wants another abysmal encore performance, it's time to end the Vincent experiment.